Story of a Phoenix
by MelonPalooza
Summary: Phoenix is still the same guy you know and love, but maybe his transition to who he is today is different from what you may imagine. This story follows Phoenix, as well as those around Phoenix and their reactions to Phoenix's not so secret...well, secret. Chapter ratings vary, warnings supplied as needed.
1. Chapter 1 - Larry

**Characters in this fic, unless otherwise stated, belong to Capcom**

* * *

Chapter 1: Larry

Larry Butz was not the brightest of kids, that he knew. But now he was no longer simply a child, but a middle schooler. It was a week before the beginning of school, the sixth graders being told to arrive at the school for orientation and photos were present. His best friend however, was not. Because of a family summer vacation, the Butz child was not able to meet up with his friend at all over the summer. Sure, phone calls were exchanged and chats were commenced, but it just wasn't the same as meeting in person and beating the other into mercy via paintball. Larry knew, since his best friend's last name started with a "W", and his started with a "B", that there was no way they were going to be in the same group. He knew this, but yet he was adamant about finding his friend, the orientation as a whole wasn't alphabetized afterall. His WEB (Where Everybody Belongs) leader introduced herself to his group, but he promptly forgot the eighth grader's name, as he was too busy searching for his friend.

There was a female in a dress that caught his eye though, looking strangely similar to the person he was looking for. Larry shook his head at that. Phoenix was _male_. That, he was certain of. Besides, that girl was way too cute to be Nick, as Larry called him. The orientation eventually lasted without a hitch, or a meeting. He even loitered on campus for a bit in hopes that his friend had thought of the same thing. The cute girl was there too, and Larry was sure she kept sneaking a glance at him. Whenever he met her eyes, she would look away, as if she was not staring at him like a stalker in the first place. Unfortunately said friend mentioned didn't show up, and the remaining kids that were lazing around campus were shooed off, to allow the staff to close and secure the school gates.

Larry watched the girl get into her car from the back seat of his own. He found himself thinking that the girl's car was the same model that Phoenix's mom had. He shrugged it off, it wasn't that rare to have the same car. Even though the image of the Nick-look-a-like was in front of his mind during the whole ride home, he set her aside to deal with Phoenix instead when he arrived back. Larry dialed his friend's number the moment he got through the front door.

"Hello, this is the Wright residence," a female voice answered the phone.

"Hello, Mrs. Wright. Can I talk to Nick, please?" Larry asked the woman. There was an immediate pause, followed by distant shouting for said boy to come. After a few seconds, Larry was greeted with the familiar voice of his friend.

"Hello?" the raven asked.

"Nick, where were you?" Larry whined immediately. He could feel Nick cringe at that over the phone, and he smiled. _You still got it, Butz_.

"I was there, you just weren't looking hard enough," Nick nonchalantly replied. His voice sounded slightly...annoyed?

"Nah, man. I looked high and low for you. There was this really cute girl in a blue dress though, I think she's interested. Not even officially a middle schooler yet and I might even have a girlfriend soon."

"Hardly, I highly doubt she was looking because she was interested in _that _way," Nick said.

"Oh? And how would you know?"

"Just trust me," his friend replied. Larry could have sworn he heard Nick _grin _on the other end of the phone.

"Uh...okay, you excited for middle school?" Larry changed the topic, not knowing how to respond to...whatever Nick just said.

"Pretty so-so, it's a big step for us, getting an actual schedule and all. Don't get lost on the first day, okay?"

"H-hey, I will _not _get lost. You have your schedule, right?" His friend hummed in affirmation and they began to compare. Six classes, and they had half of them together. Social studies, P.F. - which was short for Physical Fitness, but the other schools had Physical Education, how weird was that? - and Art. They had the same science teacher, but during different periods.

"You have her third, right? Counting on you for all the juicy details about homework and tests," Larry joked.

"_Larry_," his friend said, but Larry knew Nick was smiling as well.

"_Cooking?_ Nick, come on Metalshop is _much _cooler."

"I can always get it next semester, besides we'll see who's crawling to the other one after his snickerdoodle craving can't hold out any longer."

"We'll see who's crawling to the other after I make a sick metal dragon!"

"Pfft, yeah right," his friend scoffed, but there was a hint of jealousy in the raven's voice.

"We should meet up before school starts, you know, watch a movie or something?" Larry proposed his plan to the other boy. The raven was silent for a bit. Larry could hear him ask his mom for confirmation. When did Nick have to ask his mom anything? They hung out all the time.

"Sorry, my mom said no," Nick finally answered, evident sadness in his voice.

"How about a sleepover? Haven't been to your house for over two months, man," Larry suggested. Another pause, another question, another even a louder and more aggressive reply. Larry knew the answer before Nick could give it to him.

"Mom said-"

"Dude, what is wrong?"

"What?"

"What is wrong? You never had to ask your mom to hang out with me, and now your mom is not even letting you hang out with me, what is up with that?" Another long pause.

"I'll tell you later...Don't come to my house until I tell you it's okay to do so or I'll never speak to you again. Goodbye, Larry," Nick said. His voice was shaking, holding back some tears. Nick was still a crybaby despite all that distance he tried to put into his emotions during the call.

Larry was hung up on before he could even utter another question. He stared at the receiver in his hand with disbelief. Scenario after scenario flooded his mind, was Nick in danger? Was his family in danger? Everything that was inside the eleven year old's head was straight from an action movie. He shook it away, hoping that it was not anything serious. It didn't' stop him from "accidentally" passing by the Wright's residence that week, but they weren't home.

* * *

School finally started, and he had first period with Phoenix. With all the excitement a child can have on their first day of middle school could muster, he started the day with a plan. A plan to get Nick to spill the beans. It wasn't just about their friendship anymore, it was about Nick's safety to boot.

He waited in front of first period. More and more students from his class gathered after a few moments, schedule in tiny hands, double checking the room number for confirmation.

"Hey," a voice called out to him. Larry looked up, it was that super cute girl again. Her hair barely touched her shoulders, ebony in color. Instead of a dress today, she wore a skirt. It was short enough to show off her slender legs up to the knees. Her eyes stared at him with expectation, as if she was waiting for him to notice..well...something.

"Uh...hey, I saw you at orientation," Larry said. The girl nodded. "Why were you staring at me so much, it couldn't have been my dashing good looks, right?"

The girl laughed, "No, I just wanted to make sure you were _the _Larry Butz." What? Did something happen to enable him to be sought out for over the summer? He wasn't even in the country! Did she notice the sick tan he got?

Larry opened his mouth to speak, anything really to remove this cloud of confusion. But the door opened, and Mrs. Lee's first period social studies class was let in. Each student picked a card from the deck of playing cards that she had held, and was ordered to find the desk with the corresponding card. The one with the same color suit and the same number, basically. Behind her back, some students in the classroom were already switching cards, just so that they can sit near a friend.

"Hey, mind if we switch cards?" the unnamed girl asked the boy that sat next to Larry. He stuttered a bit in affirmation as the girl took her new seat.

"...Hey.." he said.

"Hey," she replied.

"How'd you know my name?" Larry asked, he was sure there was no such a girl in his elementary school. The girl simply put her index finger against her lips.

"Shhh, class is starting," she smiled. The room quieted down as Mrs. Lee returned to her position on the desk and took out a clipboard.

"Larry Butz!" the teacher called out, obviously starting roll call.

"Here!" he declared, shooting his hand into the air. It was then when he looked around the room that his best friend was yet again nowhere to be found. _Did Nick end up transferring_? He had heard about this. How sometimes students transfer to a different class at the last minute, to accommodate a switch in another class, a change in electives, something or other. Maybe Phoenix switched to Metalshop afterall?

"Phoenix Wright!" Mrs. Lee called out. Larry held his breath for a sign. The sign he didn't expect however, was the raised hand of the girl seated next to him.

"Here," she said, with a half raised hand. Mrs. Lee nodded and marked it on the attendance. Mrs. Lee called out a few more names until she went over the entirety of the roster. During that time, Larry did not remove his eyes from the female, who had apparently revealed herself to be _the _Phoenix Wright. The best friend he had waited to meet again over the summer, the girl at orientation that he thought was cute. The best friend who he wanted to meet over the summer _and _the girl he thought was cute _and_ the best friend he had confessed to that he had thought he.._she _was cute. His head hurt. He screamed.

Brunch arrived, and Phoenix still had that shit eating grin on her face.

"I can't believe you screamed," she said.

"I can't believe you're a girl," Larry said.

"I've always been a girl," Phoenix replied, shrugging her shoulders.

"So can I still call you Nick or..."

"You can still call me Nick."

"Oh, thank god. I am not that creative to give you another nickname without it sounding terrible on my tongue. To me, you're just ...Nikki...Nicole...Phoe?" Nick laughed at that.

"Never change, Larry," she smiled. There were tears in her eyes, and Larry felt his heart stop.

"H-hey, bro - Nick. Why are you crying? People are gonna think I pcos on you or something," Larry said, flustering. "It wasn't me...right?"

"No," she said, biting her lip. With one hand Pheonix wiped some of the tears that were rolling down her cheek. "I was just afraid you wouldn't be my friend anymore."

"No way, Nick. You're my best friend, there is no way I would stop being your bestest of best friends just because you're a girl. I mean you were always a girl, right? So you're still you, so it shouldn't matter, right?"

Larry's rambling in turn made Phoenix slightly stunned. Her surprised look soon melted into a smile.

"Thanks, Larry. That means a lot to me," she gleamed, wiping a stray tear away from her eyes. They stayed like that, in silence with nothing else but the other's comfort until the bell rang.

"Ah, crap." the bow muttered before waving his friend goodbye. It didn't take long for the other middle school student to gather herself together and head off to the next class as well.

* * *

"Hey Nick, go out with me," Larry blurted out during lunch one day.

"Excuse me, what?" Nick said, her face visibly blushing.

"Go out with me, Phoenix Wright."

"Larry, we're only in sixth grade. We're pixies, eleven. Your voice hasn't even dropped yet!"

"But Nick, your ferramonies are making my making me heart beat everytime I look at you. And has anybody told you this, but you're damn cute."

"...Pheromones."

"What?"

"The word you were looking for is pheromones."

"So..will you?"

"I'll think about it."

Larry went home that day with regret in his heart. Without removing his jacket, he jumped onto his bed and screamed into his pillow. Did he ruin his and Nick's friendship? He rolled onto his back, resting the back of his arm over his eyes. Maybe it was too soon? Too sudden. Phoenix was right, they were only sixth graders, barely even!

Without thinking, Larry took the home phone and failed Nick's number. She wasn't home. Lacrosse practice. God, what is up with lacrosse? It's gotta be the most aggressive female dominant sport ever. It wasn't like no males played, but man. Larry had to play it for a week for fitness class and_ damn_ did he still have bruises from those few days.

Using the term loosely, Larry had to confess that he was scared. Very scared. There was no way that he would be able to deal with Phoenix rejecting him. Sure, they'll still be friends. Probably. But there is no chance that the relationship would stay the same. Maybe she'll forget about it after a while. But Larry didn't want her to think of him as just a friend...did he?

He threw the phone aside, ignoring the device. If it fell of his bed, too bad for it. Hopefully, the cord didn't break.

The next day, Phoenix said yes and Larry became the happiest boy in school.

"Let's go on a date," Nick said to his friend. They were at lunch, again. The two were sitting across from each other at a table - a miracle for two scrawny pixies to accomplish due to the aggressiveness of the two upperclassmen grades.

"Yes! Yes, absolutely!" Larry practically whooped, almost forgetting to swallow his food.

"So, where do you want to go?" the girl asked, taking her now-boyfriend's hand and playing with his fingers.

"Hmm," Larry thought, stroking his chin with his free hand. That new pirate movie is still in theaters right? No, this was a date, Larry! A girl doesn't want to go watch a movie about pirates killing each other on her first date-

"How about that new Johnny Depp movie? It's still playing despite being released over the summer. And I haven't watched it yet, despite it being full of pirates. You haven't either, right?" Phoenix held his wrist with one hand, and moved her other's fingers to entwine with his. Larry's heart skipped again. This girl was perfect for him. Oh, if only he had only dated her sooner.

"Oh man, I was about to say that," Larry said with his crooked smile. He squeezed Nick's hand that was grasped around his.

"So it's a date then," Nick said.

"And so it is." As if on instinct, the hands that were in an embrace were released from their intimate hold. At the same time, the two new romantic partners balled their hands into a fist, and made contact with the other's. "Man, are girls even allowed to give their boyfriends fistbumps like this?"

Phoenix withdrew her fist and shrugged, "I don't know, and I don't care. I'm not going to change the way I act around you just 'cause we're dating now." Yep, definitely should have asked her out sooner.

* * *

Saturday was the day of the date, and Larry would have been lying if he said he wasn't nervous. He didn't dress any different than he did on a regular day, but hopefully even a dense person like Nick can notice that he had actually put effort in his hair that day.

"Oh my God, Larry. Did you comb your hair?" a voice chided. Larry turned around to meet face to face with his date. Her bangs were brushed to the side, held in place by two cornflower blue clips. She had on an oversized knit sweater, making her look even _more _petite than she already was. The rest of her outfit comprised of jean shorts that cut off mid-thigh, with black leggings underneath - most of it hidden by her tall brown boots. When she blinked, his attention drew to her faces and-

"Oh my God, Nick, are you wearing make up?" Larry teased back, immediately noticing the longer lashes and the pinker cheeks of the young Ravenna She looked _cute._ And Larry couldn't help but feel special that Phoenix had wore makeup on their date. The girl seemed to fidget at this, apparently that one lock of her hair became really interesting. Rolling the lock between her forefinger and thumb, she began to look off into the distance.

"Do you...not like it?" she began. Oh no, _shit, shit, you fucked up, Butz_.

"N-no! You look cute!" her floundered, waving his arms around like mad in front of him.

"Nah, just kidding, Butz. I know I rock this look," Nick said, sticking out her tongue. _Crap_, Larry thought as his heart skip another beat. This girl was toxic to his heart or something.

"Well, I wore clean pants today, so that's something, right?"

"Of course, Larry Butz," Nick giggled into her hand, "You wearing clean anything is a miracle, Mr. I-wore-the-same-undershirt-everyday-to-school-during-the-fourth-grade." Nick smiled that radiant smile of hers.

"H-hey, I changed that shirt at least once every few days, and my underwear was changed daily to boot!" Larry said in an all knowing manner with his eyes closed. The gesture was completed with one hand on his hip and the other pointing to nothing in particular.

"It didn't smell like it," Nick muttered under breath, loud enough for Larry to hear it.

"Are you accusing me of being an unhygienic child?"

"You are still a child, Larry."

"Correction, I'm a _junior high-schooler _now."

Phoenix nodded, "I stand corrected, you are still a child. We're only pixies afterall"

"But that's only a year away from being a sevvy, which is one away from being a troll."

"Oh Jesus Christ, can you just believe how stupid those names are," Nick said, rolling his eyes.

Larry scratched the back of his head, "Yeah, I bet a seventh grader come up with that one."

Phoenix laughed, "Yeah, and they didn't think too far ahead, they did become a 'troll' the next year afterall."

The two bought the largest popcorn available, dumped it into the cardboard box that was supplied for the drinks and nachos, and came back for their refill immediately. They also bought a box of curly fries...each. Because man although they were damn expensive they were _so _damn worth it. Along with two large slushies, the two were ready to watch some pirate action and eat some fatty junk food.

"Aw man, that that was great!" Phoenix said, stretching as they exited the theatre.

"Hey, Nick?"

"Hmm?"

"Wanna go theater hopping?"

"I thought you would never ask," she smiled.

* * *

They tried to kiss in seventh grade. But nothing happened like it did in the movies. No sparks flew. No foot popped. It was just, _well, that just happened_. Nothing significant or special about it, other than the fact that it was both of their first kisses. Larry didn't want to say he was disappointed, but he was pretty bummed out.

Neither of them had felt anything during that kiss. Their first kiss. Something that was suppose to be special to them. I mean yeah, their first kisses were with their best friend, which was nice and dandy and all, it just was wasn't what they expected.

Phoenix bit her lip, "Maybe we're not old enough to feel anything."

"Yeah...we shouldn't do that again until...later," Larry trailed off. Larry couldn't figure it out why nothing happened. His girlfriend was simply _adorable_. And he was..well, alright. They were best friends so they already knew everything about each other, as a result there was none of the initial awkwardness of _Oh what do you like to do _or _Hey do you like this or that_. They had fun on all their dates, and regular outings. Just simply hanging out and being with the other was enough to make them both happy, it was like spending time with each other in elementary school.

Maybe that was it. Nothing in their relationship had changed. The only difference now is that instead of saying the other is their best friend, they've categorized the other as boyfriend/girlfriend. Sure, they hold hands now, and hug a lot more than they did prior to the relationship. But other than that, their chemistry hasn't jived or moved around in any way at all.

The two awkwardly said goodbye after that, leaving the date on a sour note. It was good until the kiss at least. The next day Phoenix decided to dash away the awkwardness immediately with an impromptu visit to Larry's home the next day.

"You know, I hate makeup," Phoenix said as the two were lazing around on the Butz's living room couch.

"Hmm? Then why do you wear it?" Larry asked, reaching for the popcorn bowl that was haphazardly balanced between the two tweens.

"I don't know, it was just something some of the girls at school were doing. My mother has also started nagging me to be more..feminine...so I just followed along," Phoenix said, whilst trying to remove a kernel that was stuck between her teeth.

"You don't have to wear it anymore if it makes you uncomfortable," Larry suggested.

"But I'm worried about what others will think, I was one of the first ones in our grade to wear it to school after all. If I suddenly stop, what will they say?"

"Screw what they say..." Larry boomed. There was an awkward silence before he continued, "Then how about you stop wearing it on our dates? I mean yeah, you look cute with makeup, but if you don't feel good, then what's the point?"

"...Larry."

"Hmm?" Larry turned his hard to face his partner, who leaned forward slightly and flicked him on the nose.

"How can you be so wise and yet so dumb at the same time?"

"I'll take that as a compliment. And hey, I'm always wise."

"Yeah right," the teen scoffed, whacking her friend on the head with the couch pillows. The first one caught Larry off guard, but he was able to catch the second one expertly.

"Careful of the popcorn," he huffed. Resting his chin on the pillow as he hugged it, Larry stared into space for a long time.

"What's wrong? Are you that worried about the popcorn? Here, I'll even put in on the table. There, now it would get everywhere if it does fall over."

"No, Nick. That's not it."

"Then what is?"

"It's just...you said your mom was suggesting that you should act a certain way, right? How do you feel about that?"

Nick just shrugged at that, "I mean she's correct, right? I mean, I _am _a girl. And girls should do things like wear pretty dresses and wear make up. So I'm just doing what's normal, I guess."

"But Nick, do you even like to do those things?"

"Not particularly, no..."

"Then you should stop," Larry sternly lectured Phoenix. This was scaring his friend, Larry was never serious. Not to this extent, at least. "I mean, look at what you're wearing now. It's what you like wearing, and not just things you wear for the sake of...I don't know...impressing your mom or something. I don't care what you wear, Nick. I just haven't seen you this comfortable in a long time."

It dawned on her, as she looked down at herself. Larry was correct. She was wearing a short sleeve t-shirt featuring the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles on it, and a pair of khaki shorts. She hasn't worn this type of clothing since...since forever! Phoenix started laughing.

"What's so funny, dude? It's weirding me out."

"No, no, it's not you," she gasped between chuckles. "Oh wait, I think it _is_ you. You're right. You're totally right. I hate skirts. I hate make up. I hate being quiet and when adults tell me to act more lady-like. I miss shorts. Not those other shorts I've been wearing, shorts like these," she said, pointing to the ones on her person. Her face then blanked out as she quieted it down.

"Nick...?"

"I liked it...when I was mistaken for a boy," she whispered.

"What?" Larry asked his friend, Phoenix was being a bit too quiet.

"I _liked _it, when people thought I was a boy. When I did something wrong, and adults tell my mother to control her son, I liked it. And then mom would have to correct them, but eventually she stopped. But I liked it when they did it. When they called me a boy, called me my mom's son...But when I dressed like how mom wanted, that stopped happening. They started pestering me to act more like a girl, how _girls shouldn't act like that_ or _be more gentle_. The last one wouldn't be so bad in some cases, but the fact that they also added _because you're a girl_. I want to go back, Larry. Go back to the time where people that I was a boy..."

Phoenix started to tear up and sob. Larry clenched his fists, unsure of what to say. "Mom even wanted me to no longer hang out with you. Started to say how I should hang out with girls my age instead. How it's important...for, _something_," she waved her hand around to emphasize the something or other. "I had to tell her I was going out to hang with the girls for her to even let me exit the house to meet up with you. She didn't want me to hang out with any of our other guy friends at all either. They've stopped hanging out with me too. Everyone but you..."

"Hey, don't tell me that-"

"I'm sorry, Larry. Yes. It's true...I only said yes to you...because I thought you would leave me if I said no."

Larry's heart started hammering, his palms began to sweat. He let out a giant sigh, "Nick, to be honest...I think I haven't been treating you as a girlfriend all this time..."

"Were you cheating on me?" Phoenix's voice rose out of concern.

"No! No, no. Not like that. I mean, other than the fact we hold hands a lot more now. I think I've been seeing you as the best friend that's been with me all this time. And Nick, you're wrong. Even if you said no, I would have remained friends with you. If you, of course...wanted me to."

Phoenix sat there for a while, wiping the tears that rolled down her cheeks.

"Hey Larry, can I ask you a favor?"

"Anything, Nick," the boy answered.

"Even if it's only you, will you act like I'm a boy again?"

"To be honest, I never saw you anything _but _a boy." The two laughed at that. It wasn't spoken, but Larry was pretty sure they broke up. It was a mutual understanding. The two just didn't see each other in that way. Larry was just in love with the idea of romance, _all part of the junior high experience__, _he claimed_, _while Phoenix was afraid of losing a friend. But with all the misunderstandings aside, their friendship returned to normal. The best friends spent the entire day playing video games and eating junk food, and that was perfectly okay with them.


	2. Chapter 2 - High School

**Minor OC characters ahoy. It would've been hard to write about a high school life without other students. Not everyone Phoenix knows should be a future lawyer or defendant, right?**

**I've also changed the title of the series because it's just more than **_**the rise**_**. I've extended it to more than that.**

* * *

Chapter 2: High School

Phoenix Wright was an interesting girl. Or as he is known as now, a boy. Throughout all that knew h...him during elementary school, many was sure that Phoenix was a boy back then. There were a few individuals that saw Phoenix as a tomboy, mainly his parents and the staff as well as some of the other parents. In middle school, those that didn't know of Phoenix's gender was in shock, but things got settled down quickly. In high school, Phoenix shook the student body by storm once again by going to school with a new hairstyle and a change of clothes.

He now no longer cared for the nickname of _Phoe_, the name that many of those that knew him in junior high days called him by. It was now back to goold old Phoenix, or even Nick. Although the latter was used by only his closest of friends, particularly one named Larry Butz. It was absurd, how the crybaby Phoenix and casanova wannabe Larry were best friends. But that's how the clock turned.

Phoenix Wright, the one who would start to sniffle every time someone was too stern with him. However, his kind and open personality allowed him to befriend a lot of the peers around him. Larry, who would treat his current girlfriend like a goddess, but whose personality eventually allows her to push him away. This happens every few months, broken-hearted Larry would cry and try to find Phoenix for comfort. However this didn't stop the odd boy, as Larry would be able to get back on his feet the next time a girl even shows a little bit of kindness towards him.

In senior year, Phoenix's body started to change. Not in the sense of puberty - oh unfortunately for him that was way long ago, but in the sense of becoming more...masculine. During the summer, Phoenix had had the obviously fortunate chance to come out to his parents as transgender. Father was shocked, mother was confused, and all that jazz. Plea of desperation from his mom that it was_ Phoenix _was was confused instead. _You're still young_. _It's just a phase. _

After the calamity calmed down, Phoenix's father eventually went onto his _son'_s side, and eventually, the two were able to convince his mom to at least come to terms with it. They allowed him to go to a gender therapist. Eventually, during the double week mid year break Phoenix went his first testosterone injection session. _Isn't this too fast? _his mother questioned. _Your son Phoenix is certain. He's very mature for his age. As long as he's confident, Phoenix will be able to make the right decision. Since he's not 18 yet, he'd still need your permission_. In Phoenix's mind the injection was the best Christmas present he had in years.

* * *

In February, Larry dropped out of school. Determined that he has found _the one_, his new girlfriend had convinced him to "elope". She was a junior, with looks to kill and a personality as cold as ice. But somehow, Larry fell for her. Two weeks after their disappearance Larry shows up with a shattered heart and and an empty wallet in front of Phoenix's doorway. She had taken all the money and ran. It was Larry's savings since he was a child too, Phoenix was sure. And now they were all gone. Larry had hitchhiked all the way back to Phoenix's neighborhood, not even bothering to get in contact with his parents first. Butz was an idiot, but he was a good friend so Phoenix allowed him inside. Larry made sure to eat all the ice cream in Phoenix's house all the while mourning over his lost love.

Larry was on the Wright's last carton of Ben and Jerry's when he noticed Phoenix was scribbling something down.

"Hey man, you doing homework or something?" Larry whined. He didn't want his friend's focus to wander elsewhere but on his problems.

"Hn? No..no, it's..." Phoenix didn't even bother with finishing the sentence, returning his mind to the pen that was gliding across the paper. Determining that the writing was too unredeemable for human reading, he crumpled it up and threw it at the nearest trash bin, missing the goal as it bounced off the rim. It just so happens that Larry was loitering next to said trash bin, _she said I was garbage, so I might as well hang out with the trash I belong to_. He scooped the crumpled sheet into his possession and unraveled it. Skimming the words on the page, even though the ink blotted here and there, the crude handwriting was still able to let its message get across.

"Dude, are you writing to Edgey?"

Phoenix froze at those words. He didn't bother looking at Larry's direction before continuing to scribble down onto the paper.

"Nick...we tried to write to him after he left. He's not gonna reply. He's _moved_."

"I found out."

"What?"

"Miles's new address, well the one he moved to at least. It's in Germany."

"You can't be serious, Nick. He's not going to reply."

"It won't keep me from trying," Phoenix replied to his friend flatly.

"Is this your first time writing to him?" Larry questioned. After a few seconds of no reply, Larry pressed further. "Is this the first time you're writing to this address?"

"It's my seventh. I wrote the last one last year...I've been writing once every year."

"And he hasn't replied..." the silence gave the answer. Larry let out a big sigh, "When were you going to tell me?"

"Never."

"What? Phoenix he's my friend too-"

"But you gave up," Phoenix snapped. "You gave up after he didn't reply to our third letter. So because you didn't want to, I _alone_ went to his house. The housekeeper gave me his new address, saying he's now living with some hot shot prosecutor that adopted him and moved him to Germany. Took me weeks to gather the courage to write to him. And even when he doesn't I'm still writing to him. Because even when he doesn't reply, I know he must have at least read them...or, or, _seen _them at least."

"Phoenix-"

"_No, Larry_." The tears that rolled down his cheeks bled the ink, and Phoenix huffed in frustration again as he once more crumpled up another letter. "Please, Larry. At least...let me try."

"Fine...but Phoenix, please. This will be the last one, okay?" Phoenix didn't answer. "_Phoenix_,_" _Larry pressed on more urgently, allowing his hand to firmly grasp his friend's shoulder.

"...Okay," his friend finally agreed.

"Promise."

"..Promise."

"_Pinky _promise," the brown haired teen urged, sticking out his pinky of his right hand. Phoenix smiled at that.

"Pinky promise," the raven agreed.

"So are you gonna write about the crush you had on him or did you do that already?"

"That was a long time ago," Phoenix flustered, cheeks blazing red. "Besides, that was a long time ago, so no, I did not."

"Where's your sense of romance, Nick?"

"Better than yours..." Phoenix muttered.

"Hey, what was that?" the other teen confronted his friend. Phoenix could practically see fumes steaming out of his friend's head. He couldn't help but laugh out loud, not noticing that his tears have long since dried.

The next day was a bit bothersome for Phoenix to say the least. Everyone was storming the raven, asking how Larry was. Apparently Phoenix was not the only house the Butz visited along the way home, no doubt trying to prolong the inevitably of meeting his parents again. Larry had made _sure _that people knew he was back. Back and...not going back to school apparently. Phoenix berated him on the matter, but Larry insisted.

"It's not like I'm a NEET or anything, I mean, I have a _job_," Larry defended himself, shrugging.

"You're packing fish."

"Hey man, a job is a job. The fish ain't gonna pack itself."

"You make a valid point, but Larry. You gotta go back to school, it's not too late."

"Nah man, it was such a drag. Besides, I'm a junior high school graduate. That's good enough for me," Larry declared, winking and displaying his signature wonky smile. Phoenix couldn't help but drag out a long sigh.

"Just don't...don't come crying to me if you get fired or something."

"No problem, Nick. If I do get fired, I'll just get another one."

"Don't make a habit out of it, okay?" Phoenix warned his friend.

"Like that'll become an issue. How hard is it to keep a job?" Larry practically guffawed.

* * *

"Hey Phoenix, is it true that Larry Butz is back?" Eileen Down asked him one day in Calculus.

"Is it true you're dating Ben Dover," he retorted.

"_Hey_. No need to bring my love life into this. Sooooo? Is it true or _not_?"

"Yeah, he works at a Panther's food market though, so he's not coming back to school or anything. Why are you dating Ben? He's such a dick."

"School's so quiet without him," Eileen pondered. "And _hey_, he's getting better...little by little."

"He's not the type to change his bigotry attitude-"

"Phoenix, Eileen, do you have anything you want to share with us?" Mrs. Tombe said from the front of the room, adjusting her spectacles.

"No, Mrs. T," the two students replied monotonously to their teacher.

"You say 'hey' a lot," Phoenix harshly whispered the moment the mathematics teacher turned her back to the whiteboard.

"He-I mean...h...," she began to growl when she couldn't think of substitute to say. Phoenix had to struggle to keep his chuckling at a quiet level, being extra careful not to alert Mrs. Tombe.

"You're such a _jerk_," Eileen insisted, but Phoenix could see the hint of a smile under her scowl.

"I just find humor in a lot of things," Phoenix shrugged, before averting his attention back to the front of the room. "Wait, what the heck is the integral of sec2?" It was now Eileen's turn to chuckle as her friend began to pale, much to Phoenix's dismay.

_No, seriously. When in the world did we learn this?_

* * *

"Hey, Phoenix, ready for weight training?" Terry Duktal slapped Phoenix's back when the bell rang.

"Yeah, you go on ahead," he smile wryly. Terry half heartedly shrugged as he ventured off into the general direction of the locker rooms. Phoenix however, sauntered over to a classroom that was a ways away from the locker room. There was a small room for the custodians, which Phoenix gingerly knocked on. Despite this being a daily process for him for the past two years, Phoenix always felt nervous. As if for some reason Mr. Orr wouldn't give him the key that day, or that the bathroom would be close and inoperational-

"Good morning, Phoenix," the mustached man appeared from the other side of the door, handing Phoenix the key.

"It's already noon, Mr. Orr," the spiky haired teen replied. This led to the man to let out a low chuckle. Phoenix was about to leave when he noticed that the key he had in his hand was different than usual. It looked...newer.

"It's your own copy," the custodian replied.

"Are you...sure?" Phoenix questioned, eyes widening. This was a staff bathroom key! The key felt a bit heavier now, from the sudden responsibility and power that was thrown upon it.

"Sure, son. On two conditions: as long as you _and only you _use it...and that you bring it back to me once you graduate," Mr. Orr nodded.

"Thank you, Mr. Orr, yes, sir, of course, sir," Phoenix replied. Another laugh from the pot bellied man.

"Run off, now Phoenix. Or you'll be late to gym."

"Goodbye Mr. Orr, thank you again, Mr. Orr," Phoenix started off again. Turning on his heels, he even made it a point by holding onto the key with both hands. An act made out of sheer nervousness and fear.

Inside the staff bathroom, Phoenix made sure to keep an eye on the key at all times as he changed his clothes. _This is ridiculous_, Phoenix finally realized. He locked the bathroom key onto a ring along with his other keys, before dropping his backpack off near the locker room to nearly make it to class before roll call.

"Why are you always so late to weight training?" Terry questioned him as the class was stretching.

"I'm not late unless I get marked late," Phoenix absentmindedly replied. Terry was a new friend he had made at high school. Having no knowledge on who he was in middle school, Terry truly treated him like a guy from the get go. Everyone else (who knew him in middle school) had the problem of...remembering. And some just didn't get it. Occasionally there will be a few stragglers that would still call him Phoe, to which Phoenix would politely correct them. Only to be called Phoe again the next week. It was a slow process, but a working one nonetheless. True, in that it was just a shortened version of Phoenix. But the nickname would be too reminiscent of the name _Phoebe_.

Weight training was a brutal class. Mostly male dominated, the teacher wasn't afraid to push the class too hard. According to Eileen, in the more female congregated class, everything was a lot calmer. But there were more intense eyes that watched over them as they performed the more...interesting yoga positions.

"My skin starts crawling each time we stepped out onto the pool deck," she commented. "And it wasn't because of the wind."

Phoenix liked weight training just fine. He needed to build muscle. Besides, it would help him retain a healthy schedule instead of lazing in class all day. His body was becoming more defined. But his stomach was also getting a tiny bit pudgier. His face was getting more prone to acne as well. _Ugh, such work_, Phoenix had thought to himself one day. _But it'll all be worth it._

_Is _this_ really worth it though?_ Phoenix mentally screamed as he collapsed on the turf lawn. He wasn't the one to exert himself too much on timed runs, but Terry had provoked him into a race. Phoenix and him were neck to neck, but he was sure he had won.

"Don't plop...on the ground...like that..it's not...good for...your heart," Terry wheezed. He was still standing, legs far apart, supporting his upper body by resting his hands on his knees. He might have been a small guy, but boy was Terry a fast little fucker.

"Screw...you," Phoenix wheezed out, swallowing the dry air around him.

"Good news, guys. Since we have the time this year, we're gonna be able to use the pool nearing the end of spring," Mr. O'Shay declared, smiling his toothy smile.

The whole class cheered as Phoenix froze in horror. _What_.

* * *

Phoenix was not a bad swimmer. It's just. Swimming equals swimsuits and swimsuits equals...

Maybe a sports bra would be good enough. As long as he is able to get some sort of rash guard or some under armour. He went swimming with Larry over the summer, but that was at a community pool, where everyone minded their own business and you can get away with wearing a t-shirt in a pool. Phoenix heard that chlorine will damage the binder over time...and they're expensive.

And it's not like Phoenix was forced to swim either. There was a second option. But it included a lot of reading and writing, and who would want to do that for a fitness class?

"Screw it," Phoenix said to himself as the beginning of the swimming unit approached. Larry had...unsurprisingly got himself fired from the supermarket. Kept flirting with one of the cashiers, so says the rumour around the mill. _Fortunately_, he had found a job at a local sports shop. Tending to customers and giving out the minimal advice that he had to any wavering listeners.

"Nick! So nice of you to visit!" Larry beamed as his friend entered the store.

"I'm on business, Larry," Phoenix said quietly. This caused the other teen to beam even brighter. Wrapping his arm around Nick's shoulder, Larry began to babble on about the biking gear, and the hiking gear, the camping gear, the non existent fishing gear.

"I'm just here for something to swim in," Phoenix finally told his friend.

"Oh...so something that," Larry mimed the motion of squeezing his chest in with his hands. The action was much too exaggerated however, causing some of the customers and employees to look over as the newest worker starting to make sucking noises through his mouth and pounding himself on the chest.

"Yeah.." the raven said which chuckling. He couldn't help it. Larry was just too much of an idiot to _not _laugh at.

"Right this way, dearest customer," Larry said, stretching the _dear_ in a sing-songy voice.

"Wow," Phoenix whistled at the price of the neoprene vest he had in his hands. It wasn't that expensive. But at the same time, it wasn't all something you can just throw money to afford. At that moment Larry clapped his hands, making Phoenix turning to him in mild surprise.

"How about a discount?" Larry purred.

"Now is this because you're such a nice friend, or is this to make me get a membership at this fine establishment?"

"Why can't it be both?" Larry winked. Phoenix laughed at that. _Might as well_. So Phoenix splurged on some other equipment that would be handy i n the future. And gosh by golly would this have been way over his budget if not for the fact that the membership was able to lower the price by about 5%. Also, Larry tweaked with the prices. Not legal in the least, but what the manager doesn't know won't hurt him. Besides, it's whoever Carl who's at fault. I mean, who forgets to sign off the cash register after their shift is over?

With a bag of new belongings in tow, a receipt with the proof that his cashier was Carl and not Larry, Phoenix was ready to hit the pool. If it weren't for just. One, tiny. _Little._ Problem.

"Fuck," Phoenix whispered when he saw the stained underwear. _Why the fuck is it a week early, I've been taking the pill_. The raven threw the soiled shorts into some cold water to deal with later, washed himself and put on a fresh pair - now with padding. He plopped himself onto the bed and groaned into his pillow.

Phoenix woke up in a state of dysphoria, immediately curling into a ball as he rolled to the side. Feeling the blood trinkle westward he made himself get up. Cursing all the while on the way to the restroom, Phoenix got ready for school.

"You okay, Phoenix? You look a bit pale," Eileen said as he sat behind her in math.

"Just a little sluggish," he replied, immediately putting his head onto the desk and shutting the outside world from his field of vision. There was a crinkling of a wrapper being torn as he smelled the waft of chocolate. He raised his head to have half a bar of Hershey's shoved into his face. He took it with a nod of thanks.

"What are you, some sort of psychic?" Phoenix asked as he nibbled on one of the blocks.

"Whatever do you mean?" Eileen batted her eyelashes with feigned innocence. Before Phoenix could retort, Eileen turned around as the bell rang. He was going to have to thank her at another time.

Phoenix gave his mom's letter to Mr. O'Shay, who nodded and allowed Phoenix to instead walk laps around the track. Terry whined a bit of way Phoenix would miss the first day of swimming, but Phoenix had to bat his friend away, making up a lame story. _I have a stomach ache_, was his choice of an excuse. However, midway through class Phoenix started running the laps instead of walking it, which didn't went unnoticed by his friend. Like, seriously though. Walking for forty-five minutes was just so _boring_.

"So I guess you'll be well enough to go into the pool by tomorrow, right?" Terry asked hopefully as the class lined in front of the locker room after dismissal.

"Maybe in a few days, okay buddy?" Phoenix suggested.

"But-"

"Gotta run now, bye!" the raven waved off his friend, trotting away the moment he grabbed his backpack.

Phoenix touched his lower abdomen as he slowed down the moment he was out of his friend's field of vision. It wasn't cramping as bad as before, thank god. The flow was slightly thinner now than it was a year ago. But it still irked him that the pills didn't last as anticipated. Phoenix clicked his tongue as he opened the staff bathroom. Taking off his shirt, Phoenix took a long look at himself in the mirror, something he hasn't done in a few weeks. His muscles were becoming more defined. His shoulders were growing broader and his hips have gotten slimmer while his waist was widening up. Overall, he was content with the results. One thing he could live without though, is how he now stank more frequently. It's not like he notices or anything. It's just Eileen started to complain a lot more. But it could just be Eileen.

The teen snapped back to reality from the firm knock on the door.

"Sorry," he frantically replied, quickly changing to his normal clothing shortly after. Phoenix however, was too frantic in opening the door, knockin into the teacher on the other side. "Sorry, Miss Kennygon!" he abruptly apologized, recognizing said teacher right away. He wasn't in any of her classes, but she was well liked around the general student body. Plus, she was the teacher counselor for the GSA club.

"Oh, Phoenix. Sorry that I'm barging in, right now..."

"N-no, that's okay, I was taking too long anyways. Goodbye, have a nice day, Miss Kennygon!" Phoenix awkwardly parted ways with the teacher. It was the truth that she had helped him a lot on the way throughout high school. It was her idea to use the staff bathroom in the first place. It was just so damn awkward meeting her after the initial counselings. For one, Phoenix wasn't a member of the GSA. It shouldn't bother him, but using so much of her time with his questions only benefitted him, and in no way had Phoenix have found a way to thank her or contribute to the club. He just had no interest to join...Yeah. Two, he wasn't in any of her classes, as stated before. It was just damn awkward talking to a teacher you had no ground of reason to. At least, in Phoenix's opinion it was.

Miss Kennygon muttered a faint reply that Phoenix would have heard if he had stood still for a second, but the raven haired boy was already off to his next class. It wouldn't be long until he comes to her doorstep again.

* * *

Phoenix was one of the few males that was wearing a top to the pool. But he didn't mind, as long as he was able to swim. He sighed in bliss as he sunk into the cool chlorinated water. His moment of tranquility was ruined however when Terry splashed some water in his face. Phoenix was about to retaliate when Mr. O'shay blew on his whistle to remind the students not horse around until after the laps.

It was during the last ten minutes of class where they were allowed free time. Most of the - already handful - of females were congregated in a corner treading and gossiping.

"Noodle party!" one of the guys shouted as he cannonballed into the pool with an armful of pool noodles. Terry and Phoenix was caught in the splash zone, but they happily accepted the noodles that were handed to them. With special permission from Mr. O'Shay as well as his supervision, the class was able to conduct a quick game of chicken fighting. It quickly derailed however, when no one remotely knew any of the rules and it just turned into who can stay up the longest when the others try to knock them down.

The class had to practically drag themselves out of the pool when it was time to go out, wanting to stay for a bit longer to at least finish the match. With a towel drying his hair and his backpack swung over one shoulder, Phoenix left the main class again.

"Hey, where do you think he's going," noodle guy asked Terry. Phoenix's friend just shrugged. It wasn't his business to pry.

"What, you hadn't noticed? He goes off everyday at the end of class like this," another guy answered.

"Yeah, you mean you haven't noticed?" one of the girls chimed in.

"Hey, I bet he's either dealing or selling weed or whatever," the noodle guy predicted.

"I think that's just you," one of his friends answered.

"...That's not what he's doing," the girl said uncertainly.

"So, I bet you know what he's doing, right?" noodle guy challenged her.

"He's just changing his clothes. Don't get your panties in a twist," she grimaced.

"Ha, why though? There are individual stalls in the lockers for a reason," the noodle guy pointed out.

"Goddamnit Alex, I think Phoenix goes out of his way to change in a different area just so he doesn't have to deal with people like you," his friend shook his head. The teacher of the total fitness class - the more proportionally female one - came up to the building and opened the locker door for her class. As the females were filing into the class, the girl that was talking to noodle guy - Alex - shook her head and waved goodbye to her friends as she joined the females.

Terry bit his lower lip in thought. He does wonder where Phoenix goes everyday in such a hurry, but he should trust his friend. It's not like Phoenix was doing anything illegal, right?

The small boy was determined to know the truth about his friend. If it's only to prevent Phoenix from doing something dangerous or idiotic, all the better to pry into his friend's business.

"Oh, hey Terry. What's up?" Phoenix asked the other boy when he saw that his friend was staring at him a bit too intently.

"Um, can I ask you something?"

"Sure..." Phoenix replied cautiously. What could this be about? Terry motioned to Phoenix for them to move to a more secluded spot. whatever it was, Terry wanted to talk about it in private.

"Where do you go after gym everyday?" Terry immediately questioned. No time for dilly dallying. This could save someone's life!

"I go change," Phoenix answered casually, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Do you really?" he pressed on.

"Where is this coming from? Yes, I really do go to change. It's just I go do it in the staff bathroom," the raven replied, slightly miffed at the urgency of his friend's sudden interest in his business.

"Why, though? How?" Terry persisted. He wasn't doing something stupid in the bathroom though, right? Nothing that would get him expelled, or-

"I can't tell you that, yet. And to answer the 'how', I have a key."

"...How'd the heck did you get a staff bathroom key?" He didn't steal it...did he?

"The custodian gave it to me."

"What, when has the custodian just give out keys to any kid that asks him?"

"I didn't ask, he just...after I..." Phoenix sighed in frustration. This was not how he was going to out himself to his friend. "I'm not ready, Terry. I'll tell you when I am. Don't tell anyone about the key though, okay? You're the first person I've told about that. And don't like...push me. I promise, I'll tell you when I'm ready."

"But-"

"Okay, just to ease any odd lingering speculations, no I'm not dealing illegal drugs or using drugs in any way shape or form..." _Aside from those damn pills that sometimes flank out on you when you need it the most_. ",that are illegal. Karen told me Alex was bothering you about me and thinking up nonsense about my private life." Karen. The girl that was calling out Alex on all his bullshit.

"That was a suspicious pause there..."

"Not until I'm ready, Terry..." Phoenix warned. Terry backed off at his friend's request. Paranoia doesn't suit him, anyways.

* * *

"It's not like I don't trust him, I really do. It's just I don't think I'm ready to tell him. What if he doesn't understand, or get weirded out?" Phoenix ruffled his hair in frustration. He pushed his spiky locks out of his eyes before slumping down into his seat in frustration. Yesterday's impromptu interrogation caught him off guard - and now he had no idea what to do.

Miss Kennygon put stopped the forkful of salad midway. Putting her food down, she tapped her chin with her forefinger in contemplation.

"It all really is up to you, Phoenix," she concluded. "If you're uncomfortable in anyway of coming out, you don't need to. And if you're sure Terry can understand it, go on ahead. But be prepared in case he has a lot of questions for you. Be informed. It'll be beneficial for the both of you."

"Thanks...I'll do that."

"Nick, I really don't know why you're asking me this," Larry said as he was taking inventory on some of the new shipments.

"Well, how did you feel when you found out?"

"I didn't really _find _out about anything," the brown haired dropout clarified. Phoenix was hanging out with his friend after school in a staff only area of the sports shop - a place Phoenix obviously shouldn't be present, for obvious reasons. "We kinda...experienced it together I guess? You tried acting more feminine and it didn't just work out, I encouraged you to act like how you wanna act, we kissed, broke up, and you kept up the charade until dropping the bombshell in high school. Now you're all manly with the T and the binding."

"I think you got the order a bit wrong there," Phoenix pointed out. Larry just shrugged as he returned his attention to the new foods that came in.

"Hey, why's this box missing a protein bar-" Larry started, just before hearing the soft crinkle of a wrapper being ripped open. "H-hey, Nick! That's a new product, you're going to get me into trouble."

"Well, I'll be a test testing it then, you don't even have to pay me," Phoenix replied, taking a big bite out of the bar. He started to choke on the piece but eventually forced it down the right pipe. "Argh, this needs _way _more chocolate."

"Give me some of that," Larry said as he swiped the bar back. His face contorted into a grimace as he too was fallen victim to the venomous taste. "Oh god, you're right..."

"Hey Larry, are you eating the products again?" the manager shouted.

"Shit!" the lanky teen cussed as Phoenix hid behind some boxes trying to control his laughter. "No, sir!" he lied. Phoenix could hear the manager growl under his breath before popping back up after the footsteps plodded away.

"That was close," the raven smirked.

"You're going to get me so fired, Nick," Larry scratched the back of his head. "Oh yeah, back to your problem. It's Terry, right? He's a smart guy. He'll understand."

"Hopefully..."

"And if he turns out to be a big jerk about it, he's not really your friend, is he?" Phoenix couldn't help but stare at Larry. Where does the random interval of Butz Wiseness come from?

It wasn't horrible news like Terry was expecting. It was just, surprising is all. His friend wasn't cooking up anything bad, or blazing it anywhere idiotic, it was just a need for privacy. Phoenix was _male_. That was a reality. His circumstances were just different. In truth, this was a lot better than shooting things into your veins that were from undeterminable origins. Fact is, this was great news! Terry was proud that Phoenix was able to find out who he was, and being able to successfully pursue his identity. There were only some barriers that were restricted by age, but soon the raven would be able to access all the available resources. Knowing the full truth now, Terry was able to understand Phoenix a lot more. Yes, there were some questions that were asked, but they were all answered by a relieved Phoenix. Relieved that his friend still accepted him for who he was. The straightforward communication was important to their relationship, as it is in any relationship.


	3. Chapter 3 - Next Step

**Thank you for the reviews, Glaciealis and TheMysteriousGeek2345. Your anticipation to how it all unravels makes me nervous and excited at the same time. My take on Edgeworth's reaction may be different to what you may be imagining. You guys may have to wait a little longer too, as I plan to release chapters chronologically. That also means that I have finished written later chapters that can't be revealed yet because earlier chapters haven't been completed...or even touched. Please do not lost patience, and hopefully everything will be worth waiting for.**

* * *

Chapter 3: Next Step

Phoenix was nervous. And very, very excited. Larry drove him to the center, because for some reason despite being almost twenty now, Phoenix has yet to get his driver's license. He could just walk everywhere, he initially insisted. But the fact that the center was five hours away by driving, there was no way Phoenix Wright was going to sit in public transit for that long. He was very excited. But he was really hungry, and he really needed to pee. Like, badly.

Walking around in public without a binder on for the first time in five years felt very...different. He couldn't help but notice Larry sticking a camera in his face.

"Larry, I know that I'm asking for a big favor right now, and that you agreed to drive me and film for me, but not so close to the face, will you? I want to at least be able to see something if I want to go down memory lane."

"Here is the legendary Nixis Wrightalus in its natural habitat. This critter; although usually calm and docile, gets extremely cranky when its stomach is empty and its bladder full. Sadly for the creature, it cannot hunt for food during this time of its life, for it is soon to undergo an evolution, to become Phoenixicus Wrighcenius. " Larry said in the most offensive Australian accent ever.

"You make it sound like I'm a Pokémon," Phoenix noted.

"_Deo deo deo deo_!" Larry mused, to the tune of a certain item fanfare from a franchise that featured a sword wielding Hylian in green garb.

"Now I'm a collectible," he sighed.

"Aw come on, Nick. This is your big day! You're feeling excited aren't you? Don't tell me you're getting those pre ceremonial jitters!"

"Gee, I didn't know today was my wedding! I am _so _not dressed properly."

"You're sucking the fun out of this," Larry said, lowering the camera.

"Hey if _I'm _ not responsible, who's gonna be?"

"Point."

"But yeah, you're right. I'm a bit nervous. But I've been waiting for this day for years! And it's finally here!" Phoenix whooped as they entered the building.

Phoenix couldn't remember much of what happened. He peed in a cup, he laid down on the surgery table. They talked to him as he went under. Waking up a few hours later, Phoenix could feel the pain and the familiar compression around his chest. Except this time it wasn't just a simple chest binder. It was a compression bandage, signs that the operation was successful and Phoenix Wright was officially boobless. Two small tubes were coming out of the chest bandage - the drains. _Hopefully, _Phoenix thought to himself, _I actually remember to empty it out_.

Dr. Vankatesh was right beside him the moment he came to, helping him slowly sit up.

"How are you feeling, Mr. Wright?" the doctor asked..

"Like I can eat a horse," Phoenix replied. The good doctor laughed at his patient's humor.

"Unfortunately, you have to eat a bit light for the next few days. You can increase your intakes each day, though. So maybe you can finish the horse after the week is over."

Phoenix sighed, "But I want to full horse now."

"It's what's best. Make sure to drink plenty of water, okay? This time is just as crucial as the actual surgery itself. If you experience any major abnormalities from the pamphlets I gave you, do not hesitate to call the office right away."

"Thank you, Mr. Vankatesh," the surgee beamed.

Larry helped his friend back into old but still useable 1996 Nissan. Hey, as long as it's still drivable, Larry will take it. No use in being fancy over what car to pick unless you have some actual and serious dough, which Larry is saving up for when it really matters.

"How are you doing, Nick...or should I now say, Phoenixicus?" Larry said, pointing the camera into his friend's face once again.

"Tired. Groggy. Denny's."

"Now Nick, I don't really know how it feels when someone is Denny's, but if that's a sign that you want to eat-"

"Please Larry, just drive. I haven't eaten in a day," Phoenix pleaded, resting his cranium on the chair's headrest.

"Aw come on, Nick, it couldn't have been more than f-"

"Larry!"

"Alright, alright. Phoenixicus is gonna murder the poor defenseless Larrycus Butzius if it doesn't drive the famished creature to a water hole...food hole?"

"Okay, that's it, give me the camera."

Even though Phoenix felt sore, and despite the fact that he wouldn't be able to indulge in a good, proper shower for several days, he was happy. He could even argue that it was the happiest day of his life - thus far. He felt like jumping is celebration, but unfortunately that wouldn't be good for his chest. Maybe when he finally healed up. That way, there would be way more pent up happiness and joy to be let out. He would even be happier even Larry could drive faster to a diner.

* * *

"Yeah...no, I won't be able to see it until a week later. Thanks! You too, bye," Phoenix put down the cell phone as slowly as he could after the call.

"Who was that?" Larry asked while drying his hair. He had just walked out of the shower, the heat was practically still rising off of his body.

"Terry. You're torturing me with all that steam you're letting out, Larry."

"Oh dude, yeah. How is the little guy?"

"He's not so little anymore," Phoenix replied, showing Larry the recently texted image of their friend.

"Wow. Good for him. How the hell does that happen in six months..." Larry mused. He then pointed in the general direction of the bathroom. "You taking one?"

"Yeah, sure. Don't expect me to do everything as fast as I used to for the next few days."

"Dude, take as long of showers as you want, we're not paying the water bill."

Phoenix chewed on the inside of cheek, "You know what I mean." Phoenix could still perform normal everyday tasks. But not, everything must be handled with caution. No lifting the arms above the head. No carrying objects heavier than an average textbook. This also resulted in slower movements.

"Oh yeah. Sure, knock yourself out."

They were staying at an average motel for the week. The both of them found it more convenient to remain in the area rather than travel back to L.A., only to make their way back a week later to get some bandages removed. Think about the gas.

Besides. Terry goes to college around here. Which means reunion time.

Terry greeted them with open arms. A hug to Larry and a firm handshake to Phoenix. He would have given the raven haired man a hug too, if it weren't for the pain and the drains, and the bandages...you get the idea.

"You look great," Phoenix told his friend.

"I'm sorry I can't say the same to you," Terry retorted. "Looks like you've just been risen back from the dead."

"Yeah, I'm still a bit tired."

"Maybe we should have waited until you got better," Terry said with concern.

"Nah, we haven't seen each other in months. As long as we don't go bungee jumping or something, I'll be fine."

"Damn, there goes my plan for the day," he muttered under his breath. "Guess we have to go to Plan B, there's a party one of the fraternities are hosting. Everyone's invited. Pretty sure no one's gonna notice you guys aren't students. You in?"

"Sounds stifling," Phoenix noted.

"Come on, Nick! I always wanted to crash a frat party."

"I don't know..."

"No, no. It's okay. If you don't want to go, we can do something else."

"Oh, no. No, it sounds great. We can...we can go."

"Are you sure?" Terry asked cautiously, wanting to make sure Phoenix truly want to go. He didn't want to make his old friend uncomfortable. Before Phoenix could reply, Larry butted in.

"Of course, he does! Don't ya, Nick?" Larry nudged Phoenix lightly on the arm. Phoenix in turned smiled nervously and nodded his head.

"Yeah...I'd love to go."

Still skeptical, but not wanting to make it an issue, Terry nodded and the three set off to his university. They hung around his dorm room before the party started. Walking to the fraternity house, the trio could already hear the loud music booming from the enclosed building. A car had pulled up nearing the garage, spewing out a group of juniors carrying around kegs of beer.

"_Terryyyyy_," a gruff voice sounded. A tall and well built man emerged from the house, arms wide in a welcoming stance.

"_Russellll_," Terry replied. The two grabbed each other's wrist and pulled each other in one of those signature half hug, half chest bump embraces. Soon, another male exited the house to greet Terry.

"Ch-ch-ch-chia!" the two hooted, much to the semi-amused/grimace of the newcomer.

"You must be Phoenix and Larry," the man said, pushing up his glasses as he walked up to them.

"Russell," the other introduced himself, sticking out his hand to greet Phoenix. Phoenix took the hand, but it took almost all his strength to keep the other male to shake it in an overly friendly way. You know, the ones where the shakes are obnoxiously violent and turbulent. This causes Russell's demeanor to waver, but his grin was back the moment his grip was in Larry's hands, who in turn did enough shaking for the both of them.

"Chia Chi. But call me Johnny," the spectacled man said, also signaling a want for a handshake. Johnny's handshake was less violent, firm, and quick. Larry however, shook the other man's hand with the strength of a horse. "God damn, the two of you will get along swimmingly," Johnny said, referring to Russell and Larry.

The party was not at all what Phoenix expected. Yes, there was booze, loud music, and lingering of drugs here and there. But it was mostly pleasant. Everyone minded their own business, and there was free pizza. Larry took a can of beer from one of the ice coolers, much to Phoenix's dismay.

"_Larry_," he hissed at his friend.

"Dude, chill out. It's okay," Larry harshly whispered to Phoenix.

"Yeah, Phoenix. Loosen up, this is a party." Russell appeared behind them, slightly shocking the daylights out of the raven.

"But he's the one that's suppose to be driving us home."

"Like I said. Party, chill out. One drink isn't going to kill him."

"Yeah, Nick. One drink. Just one," he pleaded, deploying the puppy eyes. Phoenix let out a prolonged sigh, long enough to hint at his obvious aggravation. This was viewed as an invitation to Larry, and he opened the can to take a giant swig. "Aaaaah, that's good."

The track of the music changed, and Russell got pumped. "Hey, this is my jam! Challenge you guys to a dance off."

"Nah," Phoenix said the same time as Larry's eager, "Hell's yeah!"

Larry took off with Russell, leaving Phoenix to locate Terry and Johnny.

"Hey, Phoenix!" he heard someone call out to me. Surprisingly, the voice was easy enough to locate, and Phoenix found himself weaving through the crowd to one of the sofas, occupied by Johnny and his friend.

"Guys," Phoenix greeted them, grinning.

"Hey dude, you don't look so good," Johnny pointed out. Phoenix sat down slowly, resting his head against the wall.

"Is this a bad time to ask where the pizza is?" Terry asked. He and Johnny were in charge of finding a place for the group of five to gather, while the others were to get the food and drinks.

"Oh shit," Phoenix muttered.

Johnny let out a laugh, "I guess Russell and your friend did something to make you forget it. Don't worry, I'll go. You look out of it." He then stood up to walk over to the kitchen.

"Veggie for me!" Terry shouted after him, in turn Johnny pointed a thumbs up above the crowd for both of them to see. Terry's voice then lowered to barely above a whisper. "If you're not feeling well, we can leave."

Phoenix shook his head, "No, I'm fine. Really." Terry's face contorted into a I-know-you're-bullshitting-but-I'll-let-it-slide face. "You should enjoy the party. I'll guard the seats for everyone.

"I'm not leaving you alone," Terry said. "Besides, there's still catching up to do."

Phoenix couldn't help but smile at his friend.

"Terry said that you're a fun guy. So far all you've been is anal," Russell said before chugging down his beer. Throughout the night, Phoenix had refused every case of "fun". He had declined alcohol the whole night, along with the beer bong. Refused all invitations of dances, male and female - this includes Mary Jane! She was one of the most popular girls on campus. He didn't even take a jump into the pool!

"You can't blame me, I just got out of surgery yesterday."

"Woah, really? What for?" Johnny asked.

"He got hit by a car," Terry lied fluidly. Larry and Phoenix both stared blankly for a split second before catching on and agreeing with Terry's falsities.

"You need to get surgery for that?" Russell asked incredulously, obviously already a bit buzzed.

"Yeah, of course," Phoenix replied. He rotated his free hand around before stating, "I got hit by a car pretty hard. What did you expect me to do? Walk off with only a broken ankle?"

"You should totally sue the guy that hit you," he said, taking any sip from his can.

"It was a hit and run."

"No witnesses?" Johnny inquired.

"No witnesses," Phoenix confirmed.

"Bad luck, man." Russell concluded.

"Really? I'm considering myself pretty lucky that I'm alive."

"True. Cheers for Phoenix's survival!" Russell declared, raising his can of beer towards the ceiling. The others followed suit. "Cheers!" They all called out, before knocking their cans into each others. Phoenix sipped on his water confidently. At least he won't be getting any toxins in his body tonight.

"What a bummer. All night you've only been drinking water and you guys can't even drive back. Everyone else has alcohol in the system. Tell you what, stay here for the night?"

Larry was already passed out drunk, so Phoenix agreed. Terry eventually had to slap him awake enough to drag him back into his dorm room. At least there, they'll be safer. Johnny helped on the other side, as Russell was in the anger stage of being drunk. Phoenix awkwardly walked behind them, making sure they didn't accidentally went so unbalanced that they fell or tripped on a piece of gravel.

They dropped Larry on the couch, who immediately back to dreamland, snoring away. Johnny said goodbye and left to go to his room, while Russell stayed behind to doodle dicks on Larry's face.

"Hey, Terry. I kinda need to sleep with my head slightly elevated, so do you mind if I get some extra pillows?"

"Sure, no problem, bud," Terry replied. On multiple occasions, the young man almost bumped into a piece of furniture. Terry's roommate was fortunately on a journey to "find himself", so the lower bunk was available, which was fine with Phoenix.

"Why ya caring for the guy like he's some sorta princess?" Russell slurred, obviously too drunk to function. He eyed the extra pillows that were gathered around Phoenix's head, which was being tucked and fluffed lovingly by Terry.

"Surgery, remember?" Terry replied.

"Oh yeaaaah," the wasted guy hiccuped. Russell then turned around to exit the room, only to bump and bang his toe against the edge of the door. "Fuck!" he cursed before continuing to walk out of the room in his drunken stupor.

"Oh. Terry?"

"Yes?" Terry was a bit tipsy, and all he wanted to do was go to sleep right then and there. Hopefully he wouldn't have to suffer a hangover.

"Do you guys have any beakers or measuring cups?"

"Pretty sure some of the guys have something around for their...extra chemistry homework," Terry avoided saying outright the truth. But Phoenix knew what was being hinted at.

"It'll do," he said, pinching the bridge of his nose. "It's just so I could measure the drain and all. I'm gonna need it to empty at least once in your wonderful abode if I'm to stay the night."

"Oh sure," Terry trotted out of the room and left Phoenix sitting on the bed awkwardly in silence. Soon, the young man came back with a 100 mL beaker. From what Phoenix could see, there were dark stains on the inside of the beaker. It was best not to question it. "Pretty sure we have some hydrogen peroxide in the cupboards too, so feel free. You would not believe how many times blood has to wiped off of things in this dorm."

"I can only imagine. Goodnight, Terry."

"Night, Phoenix."

* * *

"Dude, that's like totally a hella cool battle scar!" Larry declared as he took a gander at Phoenix's new chest. With the camera he brought to the clinic, Larry zoomed in and out rapidly at the new Phoenix. There were tiny ripples underneath the nipples, something that was bound to happen after the surgery. But Dr. Vankatesh assured them both that they would fade in a few weeks.

"I know right? Soon after a few months, I can finally show these babies to the world without it being dubbed indecent by societal rules. Hey, you better not be doing funky things with that thing, I don't want to get headaches each time I watch that."

"Whatever do you mean?" Larry feigned innocence as he turned the camera sideways and upright deliberately for several seconds. "And I know what you mean, dude. Get this; so I was at work the other day and a mother asked me if she could feed her baby. She had a poncho to cover up and everything, she was hella prepared. And since she asked so nicely, how could I say no? Man, but did this other lady was looking at the mother like it was the end of the world or something. She wanted to talk to my manager!"

"How many more boob stories do you know?" Phoenix asked rhetorically.

"Not many, but maybe if you were willing to sit down at a bar with me sometime, I can tell ya."

"Larry, we're not old enough to drink."

"What the adults don't know won't hurt them," Larry smirked. Someone behind him cleared their throat, and with a shaky camera turn, the lens focused on the female standing with papers in her hands and an unamused look on their face. All amusement vanished from Larry's face as he began to chuckle nervously, "But we would never do something like sneak into a bar, right, Nick?"

"I don't know, Larry. Would we?" asked Phoenix sweetly. _Oh, that innocence is so full of lies_, Larry thought bitterly.

Soon, Dr. Vankatesh removed the drains from either side of Phoenix's body. After a few words of advice, a gratuitous thank you, and Larry accidentally kicking over some plastic models of human anatomy, Phoenix was free. In a few hours, free to take a damn shower. In a few weeks, free of all bindings and a schedule of medications and applying things on his body. Well, except for the T of course, he'd still need that. Wouldn't need the bigger hips or the menses, now did he?

"Oh fuck, dude," Larry said suddenly.

"What? What?" Phoenix asked, slightly shocked.

"Your hairline is totally receding."

"What?" Phoenix squawked. He immediately pulled down the passenger visor to check his hair in the mirror. "Hey, keep your eyes on the road."

"We're on the freeway, where nothing is gonna show up for miles but grass, hills, and more grass. Hey look, a deer." The deer was passed by in a second without Phoenix's notice. His hair was fucking receding. He wasn't even twenty yet and it was fucking receding. Fuck, fuck, fuck, _fuck_. "Hey, look on the bright side. Operation was successful and we have saved the moment forever in a recording."

"I'm going to bald," Phoenix cried out.

"That's insane, who've ever heard of a bald Phoenix?"

"Larry, that's not helping."

"Well, unless it's molting season. Do Phoenixes molt? They're magical birds right? Immortality and all that shit. Would they molt? How valuable do you think their feathers are?"

"_Larry_."


	4. Chapter 4 - Iris

**Slightly NSFW things ahoy. What the heck, it's might as well be. Oral sex, everybody.**

**Fun fact: I do more research for this fic than my lab reports and essays.**

**Thank you TheMysteriousGeek2345, Zanoushe, and Glaciealis for reviewing. Two out of the three of you are returning participants, I see. **

**To T.M.G2345 (I dearly hope you don't mind me shortening your name.) Thank you again! Truth to be told I am having a tiny bit of writer's block. But hopefully my scenario does not negate you from continuing to read it! **

**Thank you Zanoushe for reviewing. And thank you for the suggestion, it is duly noted. Are there any particularly sore passages that stuck out regarding grammar?**

**Glaciealis; hello my most reviewing reader. I felt that the party was a little rushed, but sometimes everyone deserves a little luck. Besides, I wouldn't want Phoenix's supposed happiest day be ruined by a foul college party the continuing night. Receding hairline is one side effect along many that can happen that one doesn't necessarily want when taking T. Let's just say Phoenix must have gotten the trait from his father, or whichever side that has male baldness in their family history. The hormone is awakening latent male biological genes: the one that no one wants.**

* * *

Chapter 4: Iris

Iris was not sure what she thought of Phoenix the first time she met him. Here she was, down from the mountains out of the blue, on the request of her sister. This current situation, the situation she was in right now, was probably illegal in some states or something. It wasn't identity theft per say, but...oh, who is she kidding, it might as well be! Identity theft with permission from the person you're pretending to be..to be in their place. Iris knows what she is doing is wrong, may the spirits ever forgive her. But this was a request from her sister, and sisters should help sisters, right?

Dahlia even gave her a cell phone, a device that she had never used in her life. It was a simple model, identical to hers, with the same numbers to boot. It did have her old SIM card after all. Dahlia went through the trouble of getting a new one just so that Phoenix wouldn't be able to contact her old number. Wouldn't it have saved her a ton of trouble by just giving him a fake number? No, she had to keep him in her sights. And in her sights would now mean in Iris's sights.

Iris's job basically, was to get the necklace that was now practically glued onto Phoenix's person. He cherished it like it was a gift from the Queen of England.

"I just feel so nauseated being around him," Dahlia said to Iris. "You'll do this for me, won't you sister dear?" Her words were drenched with sugar. Iris nervously swallowed, slowly nodding her head.

So it wasn't much of a surprise to Iris when the first words that came out of her mouth when she met the spiky haired raven was, "Please give me back the bottle."

Phoenix however, beamed at that. "You're so funny, Dollie." A joke. That's what Phoenix thought of her request. Something funny she had said to break the ice of their first date. Other than being somewhat naive and lacking in _getting the hint_ sixth sense, Phoenix Wright was very kind. He was very open, and he was very loveable. No matter how many times Phoenix frustrated Iris by not giving her the bottle, her request being shot down at every turn, he always managed to make her feel loved and actually a person by just being genuinely _sweet_ towards her.

Yes, Sister Bikini treated Iris like she was her own daughter, but she never had the type of attention Phoenix provided for her. He loved her in the romantic sense, something she was never able to experience. It was to her bitter horror when she realized that she was actually forming feelings for Phoenix Wright. What it was, Iris could not tell just yet. But it couldn't have been anything good, she had initially thought. As whenever she thought about their times together, Iris would feel happiness deep within her, followed by extreme guilt.

When Iris met Larry, she could tell that perhaps Phoenix was the mature level headed one of the two. Larry Butz was really spontaneous.

"Wow, she sure is a beaut, Nick. I'm really jealous. Guess you're over Edgey now, huh?"

Phoenix started sputtering, "Obviously! That was a long time ago, and don't make it sound like we were together! It was just puppy love."

"_Love_, you say?" Larry waggled his eyebrows, leading Phoenix to pinch him on the cheeks to silence him, the former's cheeks were beet red. Iris giggled at this. So this is what Phoenix was like around his friends.

"But I guess you're really not, are you? I mean you were just at the courthouse a few days ago to look up things about him weren't you-"

"I'm telling you that's not it!" Phoenix insisted, now basically muzzling his lanky friend to prevent him from talking. "Oh, on topics that _are _relevant, Dollie and I actually met in the basement library." Phoenix said triumphantly, positioning his hands to frame the blue necklace. Iris's heart started to pound. _Wait, don't show that thing around!_

"Yo, Nick that's a pretty weird piece of work you got there. Did someone swindle you on a good luck charm again?"

"No, that was _you_ who bought charms on his salary. But _I _got this necklace from Dollie. She gave it to me along with a poem she wrote herself specifically for me. It's a symbol of our love."

"Stop it, _Feenie_. That's..that's embarrassing," Iris said. She even went as far as to hide her face between her hands to add to the effect.

"There's nothing to be shy or embarrassed about, Dollie. Everyone should know how much of a talented and thoughtful of a person you are. And what better way to prove it to everyone than this necklace? This way, they'll all know how wonderful of a woman you are!"

"Aw, I'm so jealous!" Larry screamed, clenching his hands into fists.

"Wait, what happened to Ginny, or Penny, or whoever it was you were dating."

"Noelle. She left me!" Larry sobbed. "My beautiful Noelle. I'm swearing it now, Phoenix. I'm over women! I'm never dating another woman ever again! My poor heart won't be able to take it anymore! I am off the dating scene, I'll start my own business and then we'll see who is 'reckless, indecisive and uncaring about the future'!" he continued to rant. All Phoenix could do was let out a deep sigh. Iris couldn't help but giggle. It was really nice and calming to be around Phoenix. And that is probably what is currently scaring her the most.

* * *

"Hey Dollie, sorry I'm late!" Phoenix Wright apologized as he ran up to Iris. There was a pang in her heart, a result of two main reasons. One, he had called her by a name that was not meant for her. Two, she was deceiving and lying to him.

"Oh, don't worry Feenie, the trailers haven't even started yet," Iris said sweetly. Phoenix sighed in relief.

"Anyways, hope you didn't buy anything yet, because everything is on me!"

"Oh Feenie, you don't have to-"

"But I _wan_t to."

"Feenie," Iris smiled. Maybe, just this once, Iris could enjoy a date without her conscience be constantly pestering her how wrong this was. She honestly felt like she was developing feelings for the bumbling idiot, and she wanted nothing more than to hold him as Iris. To be loved as Iris. To be with him as Iris. Not as Dahlia Hawthorne.

"Fine, we'll split it 50/50, no way am I letting my Dollie go Dutch," Phoenix smiled his adorable smile. _But if we're going to buy the same things, wouldn't it technically be Dutch anyway? _The necklace that Dahlia had given him a few months earlier was proudly displayed around his neck. Iris bit her lower lip, it was right there. She just needed to get it back and escape, and then she'll never have to face Phoenix Wright ever again. But she shook the thought away. Just once, just this once, she wanted to enjoy a date with _her _Feenie without worrying about that stupid, stupid necklace. "So Dollie, have you ever read the book for this musical?"

"Of course I have, Feenie, have you forgotten what I am majoring in?"

"N-not at all, Dollie! You're the Dahlia Hawthorne, lit major extraordinaire! There's not one classic novel you have yet to read, be it in English, French, or German!" Phoenix declared, puffing out his chest proudly. Iris couldn't help but smile at that. Phoenix's lack of negativity simply was a sight to behold, a beautiful sight that was not meant for her. It was meant for her sister. But Iris knew that Dahlia would rather jump off a bridge than go on a date with Phoenix Wright.

The movie, as predicted, was tragic. Both Iris and Phoenix teared up at the end while the credits rolled. Phoenix was actually bawling his eyes out. She patted his hair gently while he cried into her shoulder, sobbing out the names of the various characters that had died throughout the film.

"Even Gavroche, Dollie...the little boy, he was just a little boy," Phoenix whimpered. Iris rocked him back and forth, like one would do to quell a child to sleep. "I love you, Dollie."

Iris's heart skipped a beat.

"I love you, I love you," he said, wrapping his arms around her waist to pull her closer to him. Because it was dark, and because she was sure no one was looking, Iris began to cry again. This time, however, it wasn't because of the movie.

"I love you, Feenie. I love you, too," she whispered into his hair. And just like that, Iris had sealed both of their fates.

* * *

This date was different. She knew it, and Phoenix knew it. This time, it was a private date, with no one to bother them. It had started off like normal, the two asking the other how their day was. They had a dinner that was made by them both. Well, Phoenix helped prepare the vegetables. With the dinner finished and the dishes washes, the two lovers settled down on the sofa in each other's arms. After a half an hour or so of idle chatter and cuddling, things began to get...intimate. Soon, they were on a bed, becoming the only two humans that existed at that very moment.

Iris was aroused. She couldn't help it. Phoenix was just too good. She was grasping at his neck and his hair, while he slightly tugged her roots and groped her right breast. His kisses trailed down to her neck and Iris let out a small gasp. Phoenix gently lowered both their bodies onto the bed, with his body pressed against hers. He kissed her collarbone, slipping his hand under her bra. Cupping them lightly, Phoenix continued to shower Iris with kisses.

Phoenix then slid off the bed. There was a rustling of some sorts, as if Phoenix was taking something out of a box. Curious, Iris tried to see what he was doing by lifting her head a bit. However, with one fluid motion, Phoenix when under her skirt and began to plant kisses against her knees and inner thigh. Slightly embarrassed, Iris reflexively closed her legs.

"Do you...want me to stop?" Phoenix asked,removing his head from her crotch and halted his actions immediately.

"No..no..please...more," Iris breathed. Phoenix obliged right away. Soon, Iris's panties were removed, and Phoenix spread for what felt like a thin sheet of latex over her opening. Phoenix then kissed her there in _that _spot. Iris let out a large moan, instinctively grasping his hair and tugged on it slightly. Phoenix moaned against his partner's pelvis. Both their bodies shook with ecstasy as Phoenix continued to pleasure his Dollie. The layer of contraception didn't hinder or take away from the sexual experience at all, in fact it seemed to add even more. The feeling of his tongue and the dental dam, caressing and massaging an area even she didn't dare touch was heavenly.

Eventually, Iris's body shook as she experienced her first orgasm. Phoenix crawled back onto the bed, embracing her in a tight hug as she caught her breath. Iris began to tug on his jeans, wanting desperately to return the favor.

"F-feenie," she breathed. But Phoenix stopped her by holding her wrist, preventing her from pulling down his pants.

"No, Iris. I-it's okay." He kissed her forehead and the two of them soon drifted off to sleep.

* * *

It's been several weeks since they had started to become physical. But it was all really one sided. Iris was always on the receiving end, and Phoenix constantly refused her attempts to reciprocate. One day, Iris decided to confront him about it.

"Feenie..." Iris cooed, brushing the locks glued on his face from sweat away from his eyes. With one arm, he enveloped Iris against his own body, mummering into her hair. "Feenie, I want to give you some too."

With this, Phoenix removed his arm and sat up. With his other hand, he tousled his hair, sighing.

"Dollie, you know how I feel..about..you know."

"But Feenie, I want you to feel good too," she genuinely meant it, guiding his arm to cup her breast. Phoenix kindly groped them, blushing slightly that such a petite beauty was his girlfriend.

"Remember when we met at the courthouse?"

"Yes..." Iris lied. That was her sister, Dahlia. Not her.

"Well, I was so happy. So happy that you'd date me despite me being transgender..." Oh. _Oh. _Dahlia must have either not paid attention as she didn't tell Iris this information - her main objective that day was of course, to hide the poison. Or she did hear and didn't bother telling her sister a particularly crucial fact about their new boyfriend. Iris tried to hide her surprise. Phoenix had already told "her" this, after all.

"And in all honesty, seeing you pleasured makes me feel good, too."

"Don't you want me to eat you out too?" Iris asked, more determined than ever before. Her expression must have been somewhat frightful, as Phoenix stiffened up. With a giant blush, Phoenix coughed, removing the hand on her breast to awkwardly massage the back of his neck.

"I do. I do but-"

"But then why won't you let me..."

"I'm afraid," Phoenix confessed, tears were already forming in his eyes.

"Afraid of what?"

"Because of my injections...even down there is not normal. The clitoris is abnormally larger, and I'm afraid that it'll...It'll disgust you."

Iris replied by kissing him on the lips, determined to suck the breath out of him. She soon felt the salty tears that rolled down her lover's cheeks, and he began to relax. The fake redhead eventually accomplished her objective, and successfully gave Phoenix one of the most pleasurable moments of his life that night. They both moaned and writhed on the bed so wildly and so passionately, Iris was glad that Phoenix had no roommates that could potentially interrupt their current moment of bliss. When they were done, the both of them rested in the each other's arms, listening to their lover's breath even out.

She had fallen in love with this man. And this man loved her. No. he loved her sister. But for now it was just her and him. Only she had ever been with him like this. She was his first, as he was hers. For now she can pretend that she was not lying to him. Pretend that she really is the "Dollie" that he thought she was.

She waited for Phoenix to sleep before she started crying, because she had done nothing but lie to him since the day she met him. She was a monster. The necklace that held the poison was also right there, on the bedside table. And she cried to herself because she couldn't even bring herself to steal it. She was useless. A useless monster.

After she dried her eyes, she used the moonlight to get a clearer view of Phoenix, the quiet moment served as a time when no lies were coming from her lips. The moment where Phoenix was not bent by her words of falsehood. In the silence, all was at peace with no lingering malice in the air. Tonight Phoenix was sleeping without a shirt on, leaving Iris the opportunity to see the rise and fall of his sleeping chest. He was beautiful, and she was tainting his beauty. She didn't deserve him, not Phoenix.

* * *

A few months later, Phoenix caught a cold. One night, when Iris was not sleeping by his side, the young college student simply tossed and turned too much, eventually throwing the blanket off of his person, and allowed the winter air from the opened window seep through his skin. Iris visited him after her classes, bringing him soup and her knitting tools. She was making him a sweater, something to keep him warm during his unfortunate cold. It was finished just in time for Valentine's Day. Phoenix was recovering from his cold, but he was still sick.

"Achoo! Denks, Dallie," Phoenix said through his stuffy nose. He took off his face mask to take in the smell of the soupy broth before him. "You know...I can actually almost smell it!" he cheered.

"That's good, Feenie. Now, eat up so you'll get better," she smiled serenely. Phoenix did as he was told. He didn't want to disappoint his Dollie, after all. After Phoenix had finished his share of dinner, the two were preparing to spend some quality couple time with each other.

"Hey..Feenie...where's the necklace?" Iris questioned her lover.

"Oh, it's where my heart is," Phoenix said, pointing to the center of his chest. So it was under his current sweater. Typical. "Don't worry, Dollie. I'll never take it off."

"Hey, Feenie. Would you mind taking your sweater off?"

"But Dollie...it's kind of chilly..."

"Oh, guess you don't want your present then," she fake moped, pouting her lower lip out.

"No, wait! I do, I do!" Phoenix stammered, practically tearing his sweater off. There it was, the bottle necklace in all it's glory. Resting perfectly square in the middle of Phoenix's chest. So close and yet..Iris couldn't help but reach out to it. Her fingers clasped around the trinket, tracing its features. She was so close. If only there was an excuse for him to take it off-

Her thinking was cut off when Phoenix sneezed. His head was off to the side, mind you. He also had put on his face mask to boot, so there was no awkward...spraying of the germs. Iris though, winced at the sudden noise and retracted her hand. _This is silly_, she thought. _There's no way I'm going to be able to make him remove it tonight_. Which was true. It was the day of love after all, and why would you take off something that symbolizes your relationship with your significant other? (If you're a dick, that's what.)

After Iris returned to reality, she returned to the couch and shifted through her back of knitting utensils to the prize. She took out the giant pink sweater in one fell swoop and-

"Dallie, oh my gash, dank you." Phoenix said as he felt the fabric between his fingers. Iris had knitted in secret, and despite Phoenix's constant pestering to know just what she had been making, she was able to surprise him in the end. Phoenix took the sweater in his hands and wore it right away. A part of the giant heart was jutting out because of the necklace, leading Iris to bit her lower lip. Phoenix however, thought this was a sign of nervousness that he did not like her present. "It's beautiful, Dallie. Oh, oh, and here's your present."

"Feenie, you're sick, you didn't have to-" but before Iris could finish her reasoning, a giant box was pushed into her face. She managed to take the box before her shock got the hold of her. Resting the box on her knees, Iris opened the lid from her present. Inside were another box of chocolates. Imported. Way too expensive for a college student. There was an even smaller box resting next to it. Small, a dark royal blue in color. A jewellery box. Iris could feel the tears brimming as she opened the smaller box, revealing the treasure that was inside.

It was a two strand bracelet. The strands were like vines, weaving around the other in a complete circle. Flowers also sparsely decorated the vines, a deep orangey pink flower. Dahlias.

"They're not black Dahlias," she commented to herself. Phoenix however, caught wind of that.

"But Dallie, black doesn't suit you at all. You're gentle, you're sweet. You remind people about the pretty dings in life and you-" Phoenix stopped mid sentence to have a sneezing fit. Iris's heart sunk. She bit her tongue from spilling him the truth right then and there. If only he knew, if only she had the courage to tell him. She wants him to be angry at her. She wants him to berate her, to yell at her. She wants him to see disdain in his eyes as he learns the whole truth. Anything. She would be able to settle for anything. Anything but the love he has in his eyes right now. Anything but that.

"Thank you...Feenie...thank you," she said as she clutched the bracelet close to her chest. Tears were rolling down her eyes. Eventually the gift box fell over as the chocolates nearly spilled onto the floor. She bent down to pick it up, with Phoenix shooting to the ground to help her.

They continued the night in each other's arms watching silly romantic comedies. Laughing at the silly antics and crying at the bittersweet moments. It wasn't long for Phoenix to doze off in the middle of their third movie. She shook him awake and guided him to bed in the darkened hallways, no longer illuminated by the television. Their clothes were removed as soon as they were fitted onto the bed cuddling against one another.

"Dallie, you're guna get sick."

"No, silly. I never get sick. Besides, I want to feel your warmth. We're not gonna do anything if you don't want to."

But Phoenix was already asleep once more, breathing slowly into her hair - well, as best as he could through his stuffy nose, resting his chin near her head. Arms wrapped around her protectively as Iris was able to snuggle close against his chest. Hearing his heartbeat as she slowly too began to lose consciousness.

Their relationship stayed like that for only a few more precious weeks. Phoenix recovered from his code, only to have it come back again as a result of an all nighter around the first week of April. What would he ever do without her? Certainly, he would be able to experience a love life without all the lies and deceit. Every time that it seems like Iris would find a time to be content and happy, the necklace would jolt her out of the trance, and a call from Dahlia would shatter the illusion. Late one night, as if some kind of premonition, a pang of guilt jolted Iris awake as she was sleeping besides a peaceful Phoenix.

He trusted her so much, and yet she was using his kindness. Something pulled at her heart as her phone rang. Phoenix did not stir as Iris climbed out of bed to pick up her mobile. She felt herself stop breathing as she saw an unknown caller ID. Dahlia. Feeling the tears in her eyes well up again, Iris picked up her clothes and exited out of the room. This was the last she'd see of Phoenix for a very, very long time.


	5. Chapter 5 - Mia

**Holy cow. I am so sorry. It's just along with school, exams, college, life in general as well as a massive writer's block, this took a while to piece together. Also I was lazy.**

**I actually have other chapters written out before this one, and I debated with my, myself, and I to whether or not I should submit them out of order. But I've already done the first four in order so there's no going back now.**

* * *

Chapter 5: Mia

The Fey family was known for channeling the dead, but Mia Fey was a bonafide lawyer. After taking in Phoenix Wright as her client and winning the case, she was back in the groove after taking a year long break after that fairly...traumatic first trial.

And now that Phoenix Wright has graduated with his law degree, she was ready to take him under her wing. Phoenix, as she had noticed over the last four years, his demeanor has evened out. He was more cautious of people around him, and he was not as naive as he used to be. Perhaps it was just the fact that he was under Dahlia's grip that had caused him to act in such a way? Was it the medicine? Mia contemplated in turning to another brand of medicine the next time she got a cold. Soon, there was a knock on the office door.

The visitor in reality turned out not to be a visitor, but an employee. Phoenix Wright's first day on the job anb and he was blaring to go.

"Good morning, Chief!" he eagerly greeted his boss. Mia smiled at the name. Chief. She liked that.

Using her desk to straighten her papers, Mia greeted her employee with a radiant smile, "Good morning to you too, Phoenix."

"I'm not late, am I?" Phoenix asked, floundering a bit on his words. Now that Mia got a better look at his face, there was a tint of red on his cheeks. It took him four tries to successfully take of his jacket to put on the coatrack. At least he didn't knock it over like the first time he visited. Never had Mia heard so many "sorrys" in a row in such rapid rounds.

"Not that I can tell. You're actually early. Were you expecting to be late, Phoenix?"

"N-no! It's just, I couldn't hail a cab at all and the bus station was at an obscure corner. And...I got lost," he admitted. Mia simply smiled at Phoenix. He returned it.

And suddenly with a swift motion and a giant _thud _ later, a few particles of dust scattered, causing Phoenix to sneeze and cough.

"Let's get to work," his boss chirped sweetly. Now, Phoenix would have jumped at the opportunity to help chief with the paperwork. But that. That giant leering tower of paper and ink, was way, way too much.

"I heard the bathroom needed cleaning, I'll start cleaning the toilet, cleanliness is close to godliness!" Phoenix ushered quickly and loudly, storming in the direction of the porcelain throne.

"Wai-Phoenix! You're a lawyer now, not a-" Mia sighed. "Never mind". He'll come around. There's only so much scrubbing you can do before you get tired of it, afterall.

After a few moments of silence, Phoenix returned. The stacks of papers that awaited for him barely deteriorated in size. The phone rang and before the rookie could even have a chance at another distraction, his boss picked it up. She nodded towards the pile before her, and all Phoenix could do was give in. It was his job after all, not matter how tedious the paperwork was.

Mia held the phone in place between her ear and shoulder as she got out a legal pad and one of the many pens that littered her desk.

"Mhmm...yes...of course...I see," she continued. Phoenix knew that it was a client on the phone - who else would call? But would chief accept it was the question. If Mia was still talking to the person on the other end for this long, surely so, right?

Phoenix's head perked up as he heard the phone returning to its original placement.

"So what's the verdict, chief?" Phoenix asked expectantly.

"Innocent, I suppose. Murder. Perfect for practice," she replied. Mia tapped her forefinger against her lips, gazing off into the distance, as if lost in thought.

"That's not something you hear everyday," Phoenix laughed nervously. Sure, there was a lot of murders that happened in Los Angeles. It is a big city, after all. What the raven didn't get was how in the hell did all of Mia's cases ended up being of the defending the accused of murder caliber?

"Hey, you coming or staying, Phoenix?" Mia's voiced broke him out of his train of thought. Shaking his head, he murmured an apology before retrieving his coat. They had a client to defend. And here he thought that his first day was just going to be a slow one.

Surprisingly, It wasn't hard to hail a cab. The driver waved them a hello before slowing down switching lanes to get to them. He rolled down the passenger window with a smile.

"Where are you fine folks heading off to today?"

"The detention center, if that's okay," Mia smiled at him.

"Lawyers, huh? Or visiting family?"

"Well, now that's a secret," she hummed playfully.

"I like you," the driver laughed. "Come on in."

There was a drunken man - in bright daylight! - that pushed Mia aside from the taxi door, calling her a less than flattering term for a woman.

"Hey!" Phoenix shouted at the man. The man however, flipped them off as he closed the side door. The taxi driver shrugged at the two lawyers before before driving off. "You get back here, you thief!"

Phoenix wanted to curse at the man, but Mia grabbed him by the upper arm.

"It's okay, Phoenix. The guy reeked of alcohol, he's not worth it. We'll just get another one."

In the cab ride to the center, Phoenix kept bouncing his leg. His brow in a crease, constantly remembering the rude man that was...so _rude_.

* * *

Winifred Days, or as all her friends call her, Wednesday, looked simply petrified behind that glass wall at the detention center. Now she has one less friend and all the evidence in the world has pointed towards her as she tried to prevent her puffy eyes from crying again.

"Please," the young woman pleaded. "I didn't do it, I would never...I would never hurt - let alone kill - Tuesday. She was like a sister to me." Her blonde locks bobbed up and down in response to her constant movements of her body. Her eyes attempted to practically squeeze all of the tears out. Phoenix and Mia had just sat down across of their client, and Wednesday had already used at least twenty sheets of tissues.

Trixie Pallone, who also had the nickname of Tuesday among her friends, was a young woman. In the same grade as Wednesday, the two were close for years and years. So close, even the bad blood between their families could pull them apart.

"Sometimes, not even blood can prevent people from killing," Phoenix muttered under his breath, only to receive a well timed elbow slam into the side of his body. The impact made him cringe slightly, but he refrained from screaming his pain out. There's always a line to how loud you can be at the detention center. The guard stared at them with skeptical eyes before staring off into the distance again.

Even though it didn't hurt all that much, and he understood why Mia had done so, for some reason he got really angry. The woman before them looked super sensitive, as well as on the verge of breaking down. A comment like Phoenix's could have derailed her into oblivion and the real waterworks would have started to flow. And that would make the whole situation harder on the lawyers than it already was. But it wasn't like she could have heard him. The more he thought about it, the angrier he got. And he had no idea why.

"-ame home and she was just there, dead on the sofa we just bought together," Wednesday sobbed. Phoenix bit his lip, _crap I wasn't paying attention_, he thought. "I called the police, but then I got arrested in the process."

"We believe you, what else did you see, Miss Days?" Mia calmly replied to their client's story.

"I-I don't know-" she sniffed.

"What were the conditions of the apartment?" Mia tried again.

"Well," Wednesday sniffed again. All this sniffing and crying was getting under his skin. Phoenix was usually a very patient man, but this was getting irritating fast. And that also started to fester a small amount of fear inside him. It was so unlike the blue lawyer to develop this type of anger - towards a client no less - and the unknown of how or why this was happening scared him. In return the fear of not knowing angered him more. The cycle continued, fear, anger, fear, anger. But it all happened silently as Mia continued to talk to Wednesday.

"Phoenix, are you okay?"

"C-chief?" Phoenix stammered. Mia's voice broke him out of his concentration. He was suppose to be focused on the investigation, after all.

"You look a bit pale-" Mia started to reach out for his shoulder, when he suddenly whacked it away.

"I'm fine!" he shouted. The realization of his actions hit him immediately as he did it. "Sorry, chief."

The sudden burst from her employee shocked Mia, but she soon recomposed herself to continue prodding the potential murderer in front of her.

"At around what time did this all happen?"

"I already...told you..." Wednesday said between every sniffle and sob, "the...evening...two days ago."

"She meant specifically, Miss Days!" Phoenix practically growled towards her. This time, however, Wednesday could in fact hear him and flinched. The sudden animosity towards her made the blonde freeze up.

"Phoenix!" Mia scolded.

"N-no..he's right," Wednesday said quietly. "I left work around five, but because of some business I needed to attend to, I couldn't get home until 6:00, 6:15, even though it is just a fifteen minute drive back home. They arrived around 6:30."

"The police received your call at 7:18, Miss Days," Mia told her.

"Are you lying to us, Miss Days?" Phoenix said. His voice was getting more aggressive. Wednesday sank back into her seat.

"I-I don't know," she sobbed. But Wednesday was too far away from the microphone, and so it was barely audible for the other side of the glass to hear. This alone was enough to tick Phoenix off even more. Before he knew it, Phoenix grabbed the neck of the long microphone and shouted into the head.

"Did you lie to us, Miss Days?" Phoenix said.

Wednesday covered her ears and started to cry again, "I don't know!"

"Phoenix, get off the mic!" Mia hissed. She wrestled the microphone out of Phoenix's hands. He let her.

"It looks like I actually don't feel that well, please excuse me. Chief, Miss Days. I apologize," Phoenix said before he got out and almost bolted right outside. Mia blinked in surprise at the sudden change of character in her employee, but she still had an interrogation to complete.

* * *

Outside, the Los Angeles air cleared his head. His heart had stopped hammering and the memory of his actions started to creep back into his head. Simply recalling his actions embarrassed him, but the effect he had on Wednesday made him want to crawl into a hole and die. He was sitting on the steps outside of the detention center, knees up, his head in his hands, wanting to disappear.

"You want to explain to me what that was back there?" Phoenix looked up to see his boss, furrowed brows, stern frown. Narrowed eyes. Uh oh.

"I'm sorry, Chief, it won't happen again," Phoenix said has he stiffly stood up.

Mia sighed, "This isn't like you, Phoenix. Blowing a fuse like that."

"I know...I'll try to keep it under control."

"You better," she said. The crease in her brow lessened, but only a little bit.

The taxi they took to the Days-Pallone apartments was the original driver that they met up with before.

"Wow, this complex sure is popular today."

"What do you mean, Jerry?" Mia questioned. Jerry Tran was their driver, or so it says on the license that was glued to the back of his chair.

"The drunk guy this morning, the one that pushed you aside - sorry about that by the way - went there too."

"Why?" Phoenix asked.

"Hey buddy, I'm a driver not a psychic. But maybe you'll bump into him."

"That'll be a blast," Phoenix said.

"Oh, you gonna deck him in the schnoz? You should, after he treated your woman like that."

"She's not my woman!" Phoenix blushed. Mia started to laugh.

"I'm his boss," Mia explained. "But knowing you, Jerry, a whole nother scenario probably popped into your mind, now didn't it?"

"C-Chief!" Phoenix sputtered, his face burning up. The taxi driver laughed - more of a guffaw really.

"Oh man Miss Fey, you make me feel young again."

"Please, Jerry. You look no more than thirty. And call me Mia."

"Oki doki, Mama Mia. After you're done with your case or whatever you attorneys call it, mind having a coffee with little old me?"

"You're hardly little, but I'd be delighted," she smiled.

"Where have you been all my life. Oh and Buddy, man, Phoenix Wright? That's some name you got there."

"At least then you'll know I'll always be right..." Phoenix lingered at words the moment he finished his sentence. He held his tongue down. Agh, it was such a stupid joke. In all his twenty something years of knowing how to speak, not one person had laughed at that. It was then that a guffaw erupted from the front of the car.

"Right! Because you're name is _Wright_!" Jerry laughed. This at least gave Phoenix a small smile. Maybe he wasn't so bad after all.

* * *

The investigation was clear and cut. Phoenix shadowed Mia as she did her job as Wednesday's defense lawyer a few days later. There were ticks and bumps in the road that did started to anger Phoenix. He did his best to hold back as much as he could. But afterwards, Mia said that he was more aggressive than usual when court was in session.

"I hope you don't make a habit of that in court, Phoenix," Mia warned. Losing your temper is not the best habit a lawyer can have. Especially if the judge is an old man that changes his demeanor with a bat of an eyelash of a pretty face. Wednesday's father, the drunkard found out that she was living with Trixie Pallone. Pallone's father in question was a 'rival' of the Days family. He was a suspect for the murder too, but it was not him. It wasn't the house cleaning lady, it wasn't the manager. It wasn't even the chihuahua, an animal Phoenix almost told the court to be brought up as witness. Mia talked him down from it though.

But it was another of Tuesday's friends. Angry that Tuesday slept with her boyfriend. Or - would be boyfriend. The friend - who was affectionately nicknamed Monday - was just in a state of having a maddening crush with the boy, which was the fuel to her actions of killing Tuesday. Wednesday became visibly heartbroken when the affair was announced. The murderer had attempted to blame her tactic on Wednesday. Accusing _her _as the one that acted on pure envy to kill her best friend. But it was impossible, as she did not love the boy in the equation. But she was in love with the girl, Tuesday. The two were more than just friends. Their families and friend didn't know anything about it, but the truth was cried out during court, much to the shock of all parties.

"Thank you, Miss Fey, Mr. Wright," she called Phoenix's name in the lowest voice possible. Wednesday was looking down at her shoes instead of looking up at him. The raven couldn't help but sigh.

"Look, I'm sorry I was a bit...aggressive. But I found out what made me behave that way, and I'm in the middle of resolving it now. I don't usually act like that...sorry."

"A bit?" Mia cocked an eyebrow.

"Okay, a lot aggressive. I'm also sorry, I made you confess...that." Phoenix waved his hand around.

"It's okay, Mr. Wright. It had to come out eventually," Wednesday looked into his eyes for the first time. And then she smiled, "It saved my hide, even though I could see some people were skeptical. They were like, 'oh she's suddenly all lesbo with her roommate when it's convenient for her to get more sympathy from the judge'. But you two believed me, and the judge did too, and I guess that's what matters, I suppose. I did love her, and hearing her being with somebody else pains me so. But it was Monday that reacted in such an immature way. I can only hope that Tuesday rests in peace."

"I'm glad you feel that way," Phoenix smiled back.

* * *

Phoenix couldn't wake up that day. He was in so much pain. His _thing _was back, and he wasn't prepared. It was more painful than he remembered, that was what his therapist expected. His gender kind, he didn't need a physiological one yet. _Not yet at least _Phoenix thought to himself as he clutched his abdomen.

The hormones in his body had started to suddenly give him a burst of mood swings. He had noticed a few weeks before, but the case that he had with Mia and proven to him that something was clearly wrong. He was then recommended to put his injections on hiatus. Just until he didn't feel inclined to deck people that made him angry in the face.

He did just that, mentally prepared himself for the oncoming changes. But this was way, way, _way_, too painful. He couldn't go to work like this. He didn't even had any pads, or tampons for the matter. He didn't need to have them for a long time. He was even about to go out to buy some today, but it came too fast and too hard. He had to make a call.

"C-chief." Phoenix breathed.

"What is it, Phoenix?" Mia's calming voice asked from the other end.

"I have...menstrual cramps." he confessed. Phoenix shut his eyes tightly, despite knowing the fact that such an act wouldn't shield him from the phone's effects at all.

"...Oh," was all Mia said on the other end after a large pause.

"They're really painful," Phoenix continued.

"Uhuh..."  
"And since I haven't needed them in quite a while..."

"Pads or tampons?"

"...Pads, please."

"Do you need any pills?"

"Ngh, no," Phoenix flinched as a sudden pain shot through him.

"Mine's early this month, guess I get to blame you for that," Mia said. Phoenix didn't know if the myth was true, the syncing of period cycles. But it still have him a chuckle.

"Thanks, Chief," Phoenix said. They said their goodbyes and all Phoenix could do was painfully get ready and wait in a position that wouldn't get blood everywhere. He didn't miss this part of his old self at all. Hopefully, his hormones will be back in check before the next case. He didn't want to end up suplexing someone because his vagina was screaming at him.

When the doorbell rang, Phoenix lagged to open the door for Mia to come in. It was like an intense battle between two sides. One wanting to rest in bed, the other actually wanting to soak the blood that was bleeding between his legs. Mia greeted him by shoving the bag into his hands, taking out a box in the process. There were two bulks of pads in there. One wingless and the other not. There was also a giant Hershey bar, dark chocolate.

"I hate bitter chocolate."  
"You're suppose to avoid dairy, Phoenix. And I got you some tea too." Mia was already in the kitchen, looking for a way to make the tea. Phoenix pointed to the cupboard with the water boiler.

"Thank you again."

"I should thank you," Mia said.

This confused the young lawyer. "What for, Chief?"

"For trusting me with this," Mia stood up from kneeling to find the boiler and motioned towards the bag.

"Of course I trust you," Phoenix smiled.

"Oh no," Mia said. She almost dropped the boiler before catching it again, settling in safely on the counter.

"What is it Chief?"

"I never asked Jerry for his number!"


	6. Chapter 6 - Miles Edgeworth

**TMG, you're like this story's biggest fan. I really appreciate that.**

**I apologize for non NaruMistu/Phoenix x Miles fans.**

* * *

Chapter 8: Miles Edgeworth

The letters that were sent every year were received by someone other than Miles Edgeworth. It wasn't until a few years after his first case against that other rookie, Mia Fey, did he finally caught wind of what von Karma was hiding from him. Manfred had deliberately thrown out every instance of mail that was written by Larry Butz or Phoenix Wright. A child in the von Karma household didn't have time for those below them, after all.

Mrs. von Karma however, had snuck each letter from their grim fates and kept them in a box. When Manfred ordered the staff to simply throw any hand written letters addressed to Miles to be thrown away, Mrs. Manfred secretly told them to give those letters to her instead. She would have to wait for Miles to be collectively mature enough to handle the situation. It wouldn't do for a child or teen to lash out against von Karma at all.

It had been a few years since Phoenix had written a letter to Miles, as he had promised Larry. But with the floating news of the demon prosecutor and the claims of falsifying evidence, Phoenix had to break the promise. In his letters, Phoenix inquired about Miles's wellbeing. What living in Germany felt like. It was like his old letters to the silver haired one, except now there were also questions of Miles's job.

_I still trust you_ were the gist and repetition of many themes of the letters. _Do you really believe this is the truth _was another. Miles arrived home early one day, so he decided to take in the mail. A commonly easy and simple task that he never liked the idea of butlers or maids handling. Miles's line of vision suddenly caught a distinctly familiar looking envelope. His heart skipped a beat when he saw the return address. Sticking that one single letter into his jacket, Miles reentered the von Karma mansion, with the other mails and bills in tow.

He delivered the important ones to the desk of the head of the house, before quickly retreating into a secluded corner of the mansion where he wouldn't be interrupted or distracted. It was a letter from Phoenix Wright. He remembered her. A strange girl that looked and acted like a boy. Strange character befitting a strange name, he supposed.

He never told her, but he liked her. Liked liked. It was embarrassing for him to be so enchanted by such a simple person. To why embarrassment though was a mystery, even to this day he had no idea why it was embarrassing in the first place. It was embarrassing now though, as sometimes Miles dreams of her. Dreamed of scenario after scenario of _what ifs_. What if he had told her? What if his father never died? What if she didn't like him back? The letter started off with no breaks whatsoever.

_I had surgery today_.

His heart skipped a beat.

_Or was it a day before? Hard to tell anymore, I'm so damn tired_.

Why the surgery though? Was Phoenix alright?

_Don't worry, it wasn't nothing life threatening. It was just the top surgery I told you about a few years ago._

What.

_My dream came true, and I now no longer have weird fat bags hanging off my chest. Even though it hurts to move right now._

What was going on? There was a lump in his throat. There were too many pieces missing. But one thing he could tell was that he didn't receive any other letters from Phoenix. That would mean that someone had prevented him from receiving them. He skimmed the rest of the letter.

_I miss you, Miles._

Now the lump in his throat was threatening to burst. His eyes started to tear up when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He flinched, but only to see that it was Mrs. von Karma, and not her husband.

"I'm sorry, Ma'am," he muttered, wiping his eyes.

"Oh, Miles. Come here, I have something to show you."

She led Miles to the pantry, a place he was banned from going to after he caused some harmless mischief with Franziska. For a toddler, the young girl was a very fast runner. Mrs. von Karma then gave him a box. It wasn't heavy, nor was it light. He looked at her with questioning eyes.

"Read these in your room, Miles. Keep your emotions in check, and don't make a scene," she cupped the side of his face. Read. Letters. Miles's heart began to pound again. He nodded frantically and before he left her in the pantry. In his room, Miles slid down with his back against the locked door with a giant sigh. With shivering fingers he lifted the top off to reveal envelops. Dozens of them. He shifted through them. At first, there were so many of them, barely days apart. From both Phoenix and Larry. Afterwards, Larry stopped sending, and Phoenix has started to send only in rare spurts. Annually from what he could tell. And then there was a gap. A gap of years of nothing. But the year that the letters started coming back was the year that he started prosecuting.

He began to read. The first letters were of Larry and Phoenix, harmlessly asking where he was and if he was alright, and that they were sorry. Why were they sorry? They had nothing to do with his death. It was him...

When Larry stopped, Phoenix continued.

_I'm actually a girl._

Miles expected that.

_Me and Larry are dating now._

That, not so much.

_Today, I found out that I'm transgender._

Oh. And then there were paragraphs of explanations. Of what it meant, of how Phoenix felt/ Miles felt that Phoenix hasn't told anyone but him about certain passages of the letters. Miles smiled at that. So he read about Phoenix's life in spurts. He read about the processes Phoenix had to go through, how Phoenix had started to worry about passing. How there were ignorant people at school, how there weren't. The last one before the hiatus of letters ended on a sour note. To Miles at least.

_Goodbye, Miles. I really liked you back then._

Oh goodness, if Miles had had read the letters as they come, he would have had a mini heart attack from the lack of letters. But then again, if he had actually received them, he might actually have replied back. Maybe. At least to this one he would have. Miles frowned. He would have asked what Phoenix meant by like. As a friend? As...something else? He went onto the next letter, it was sent a few weeks after he debuted with his first official case.

Before reading it, Miles had a small flashback of that triumphant part of his life. His first case that he was actually in court with was Mia Fey, yes. And although it was traumatic for him as well as the defense attorney, he at least had kept practicing. The death of the defendant was too sudden, no one could have seen it coming. But the one before that, the one that involved Calisto Yew. Was that one a really wild ride. Also, there was a brat that got snot on his cravat. But no big, he had a letter from a childhood crush to read. Not that he'd actually admit that it was a crush anytime soon.

_Demon Prosecutor? Really, Miles?_

He had to admit, it was a pretty...interesting name. As Miles continued to read the letter, his heart went through a roller coaster of emotions.

_I got accused for murder._

_I ate the necklace._

_It was actually my girlfriend._

_I changed my major. Going to be a law student. Wish me luck!_

_I really need to talk to you about something, but I want it to be face to face._

There was even a post script.

_P.S. _

_When I said I really liked you back then. I meant as more than a friend. Like "I would like to swap cooties with you" like._

Miles chuckled at that. It was hardly funny, but the childlike comparison in less than stellar handwriting was just the tip of the iceberg that brightened Miles's day up. He then read the rest of the letters in quick succession, as more and more of Phoenix's letters had come into the mansion without his knowledge had piled up.

After he had finished, he had more or less the backstory of what had happened to Phoenix in the last couple of years. He slowly got up from his seat at the door and walked over to his desk. There, he sat down and took out a blank piece of paper and his fountain pen. He hovered the pen over the parchment for the longest time, thinking of what to say. Dear Phoenix? Was that too personal for someone you haven't met since grade school? Dear Wright? Too distant? What would he even write about? Sorry I didn't get your letters my adoptive father is a dick? In the end, he put the pen down. He waited for the anger to rise for von Karma. But nothing came.

But at least he had an inkling of what he needs to do.

* * *

Much to Manfred's dismay, Miles's preferred living accommodation involved a simple apartment. A nice one, yes, but a simple one at best. Nicely furnished and recently renovated. But nothing compared to the von Karma residence.

"Who'd heard of a von Karma living in such a state?" he had said

Miles was not a von karma. Besides; a giant house was best when shared. And one as big as the von Karma's needed a lot of sharing. Emptiness in a household led to loneliness. Edgeworth learned that the hard way for seven years.

But with the isolation of his own space, he could hear himself think. The best part is that Phoenix's letters are finally being sent to him. Even though the address on the envelopes were still that of the mansion's, they were forwarded to Miles before Manfred could even look at it. When Phoenix passed the bar, he packed his suitcases immediately.

America was just as he remembered it. Specifically, California was just as he remembered it. At the most microscopical level, Los Angeles was the same. When he was face to face to Phoenix, he wanted to reach up to the man and hug him. He wanted to apologize, he wanted to confess everything to him. He figured that he could do all that after he defeated Phoenix in court. But when it was him that was defeated, he didn't have face and absconded after the verdict was declared. He hadn't heard that words "Not Guilty" come out a judge's mouth in the longest time.

When Phoenix showed up at the detention center, he wanted to curl up in a ball. When von Karma showed up to be the prosecutor, he wished himself dead. But Phoenix won and he was grateful. Phoenix found out that Miles didn't kill Robert Hammon. Phoenix found out that Miles didn't kill his father.

After the celebratory party with Gumshoe, Miles drove Phoenix and Maya home. With Maya tucked away in Phoenix's bed, the attorney came out rubbing his hair.

"What a day, huh Edgeworth?" Were they back to last names already?

"Quite a day it was, Phoenix," Miles admitted. The use of his first name drew the attention of the raven, who stared at him with unexpected eyes. "Oh come now, that's your name, is it not?"

"W-well, yeah..but.." the lingering silence was deafening. "Okay, can I ask you something, Miles?"

"What is it?"

"The letters that I wrote...that I sent...have you...?"  
"Receive the? Yes, but only until recently."

"Oh. Um."

"von Karma was hiding them from me, as he saw you and Larry were a distractions to my studying of becoming a prosecutor."

"Oh." Oh, crap. After a few years of no response, he didn't think Edgeworth would have actually read them. There were things written in there, feelings. Emotional bogus.

"I liked you too," Miles said.

"Bwuh?"

"I said I liked you too, way back then. You were the most interesting girl I've ever met and I really liked you for that. Now you're before me as a man, and I-" Miles's voice faltered at the end.

"You knew I was a girl?"

"Yeah, anyone with half a brain could tell that you were one. But that's wrong terminology we were just using there, weren't we?"

"More or less."

"Come now, Phoenix, I'm trying to be serious here."

"How about a date?"

"Excuse me?"

"Date. Me. You. Dinner. Movie. Something," Phoenix shrugged at the last thing.

"But you're not...and that Dahlia girl," Miles continued to say incoherent fragments of his thoughts. His face and ears were probably beet red by now.

"Larry."

"Oh, but that was before..."

"But it still means I don't mind, I really liked you Miles. And seeing you before me again after all these years, I think I'm starting to fall for you again."

"Oh, come now. We've been in each other's presence for a handful of hours."

"But for the last few ones, I really started to get to know you again. Larry kept saying how both of us kept looking at the other when he wasn't looking."

"I did no such thing." Miles lied.

"Come now, Miles," Phoenix said with a quiet voice. He put his hand on Miles's and the magenta prosecutor let him. Soon, their hand were intertwined and Miles never felt happier. It was then that suddenly remembering his sudden state of hygiene made him push the other man away.

"I need to use your shower," he said.

"Wow, aren't you moving a bit fast there, tiger."

"_Phoenix_," Miles said with reddening ears.

"Alright, alright," Phoenix held up both his hands in front of him in faux defense before telling his friend the directions to the bathroom. "Now are you sure you don't want me to join you?"

"I'm sure."

The shower helped him clear his head, and when he came out, he saw a change of clothes on the counter. It was a t-shirt and some sweat pants, alone with a pair of briefs. Although it wasn't as silky as his own pajamas, Phoenix's own clothes had to do. Besides, it smelled just like the attorney.

Quietly making his way to the living room, Miles sat next to Phoenix.

"Miles, what do you think about us?"

"What do you mean," Miles turned to face the other man, who was facing straight ahead from the sofa.

"Do you think we can make it work?" Phoenix said, now turned to look Miles in the face.

"We haven't even tried yet."

"But do you think we can?"

There was a slight hesitation.

"Yes. I think we can."

* * *

"Goddamnit Miles, I said casual, not semi formal," Phoenix said when he opened the door.

"This is my casual," Miles replied stiffly. He had on a pair of slacks, a dress shirt, and a low cut vest. It wasn't his formal clothing at all. Phoenix in turn was wearing a pair of jeans, a t-shirt, and a zippered jacket that was currently unzipped. The collar was surprisingly double breasted for whatever reason, but it looked good on him.

"You look..." handsome, gorgeous, "nice."

"And you look simply ravishing," Phoenix winked. "What, three dates too soon?"

"More like ten if you keep this up," Miles said with flushed cheeks.

"I didn't know you wear glasses," the dark haired lawyer commented as they made it to the parking lot.

"I usually wear contacts," Miles said. Phoenix hummed in approval as they entered the sports car.

The both of them decided to each pay for their own things tonight, and that it was all going to be focused on the aspect of having a good time together. It also meant nothing fancy, for Phoenix's wallet's sake. The restaurant they chose was a simple family diner, with decently priced hamburgers, greasy fries and agonizingly sweet milkshakes.

"I don't know how you survive when you eat things like this diabetes awareness plate," Miles replied as he poked at the burger.

"I told you that you can order the salad if you wanted," Phoenix said. He was resting his head on one of his hands, eating a fry with the other, and looking at Miles's struggle with commoner's food with great amusement.

"It looks like they just wash prepackaged mixed vegetables and drench it with a vinaigrette, and no, Phoenix, that's not just what salad is."

"You could have fooled me," he teasingly said. "Just eat the damn burger, Edgeworth, before it goes through an ice age."

"With the chemicals they put in these, I won't be surprised if it survives a nuclear apocalypse," Miles muttered before he finally gave in and took a bite. It was surprisingly decent. Actually, it was quite good.

"Come on, the worse thing I can think of that exists in these is olestra."

"I'll charge you my laundry bill."  
"Aw, come on. I'm sure you can hold it in if anything happens. And really, Edgeworth? You don't even go to laundromats?" Phoenix asked as he popped another fry into his mouth.

"I lead a busy life, Wright. I don't have time to do my own laundry."

"Fair enough," the defense attorney said before swiping a fry from his date after he finished his own. Miles discreetly scooted the plate closer to him. They might cause him health problems later in life, but they were good. Phoenix chuckled at that.

"Hey, they're mine. Also, are we really going to watch an animated film on our first date?"

"Of course! Some animated movies are the best movies out there. And they're masterpieces that can be enjoyed by everyone of all ages. Ooh, here comes the pies!"

"Wright, don't tell me you still have room for food?"

"Of course I do. Their pies are the best and the AMC's curly fries are to die for."

"You're still going to eat overpriced theatre food."

"Hell's _yeah_ I'm still going to eat overpriced theatre food." The way that Phoenix said that, Miles didn't know if it was the emphasis or the pacing or just the words itself. But it made Miles chuckle. Phoenix was a loveable idiot, and he was his.

"Dude, Larry, don't tell me you lost the job selling objects of ambiguous origins by Gourdy Lake already?" Phoenix questioned his friend.

"Nick? And Edgey! Oh goodness you two are on a date. About time," Larry winked.

"Larry, what a somehow unsurprisingly surprise to see you here," Miles said with crossed arms.

Larry Butz was behind the counter of the concession stand, smiling like he had not a care in the world.

"Anyways, give me your best curly fries. And a white cherry slushie, the biggest size. What about you, Edgeworth?"

"I'm fine, thank you." In the corner of his eye, he saw two teenage girls. One of them was blatantly obscuring the other one from Larry's view as the other smuggled some thin mints into her purse. Miles bit his lips. "Actually, a small cola will do."

"Right on it," Larry said, sticking his tongue out. Miles wondered if he should tell Phoenix. The teens were still in the line right behind him, talking about a video game or something, oblvious to the fact that he just saw them steal the box of candy.

When Larry was gone, he decided to tell Phoenix. The teenage girls were young, but stealing was still a wrong thing to do. Phoenix just blinked at him for a bit, "That's why the movies are so overpriced, Edgeworth. The staff _knows _that movie gowers steal the candy on the outside."

Miles felt like he was slapped with the face of reality. Phoenix saw his discomfort, and took Mile's hand in his. As if on instinct, Miles allowed Phoenix to put his fingers between his. "But usually it's only teenagers that do so, they'll grow out of it," he lifted their laced fingers up to his lips and kissed Miles on the back of his hand. The two girls behind them let out a small squeal. Phoenix simply looked back at them and winked.

"My, I can't leave you two alone for a second before you go lovey dovey on me," Larry said when he came back. Miles looked at the smaller of the two cups, mouth gaped open in disbelief.

"That is so not a small," was all Miles could say.

* * *

The drive home was full of small talk. Short , sweet, conversations that made the two smile, laugh, and once even giggle like small children.

At his door, Phoenix invited Miles in, who took the time to walk him to his apartment.

"No, thank you, it's late, and I have a case to work on tomorrow morning," Miles said.

"Oh, did I...?"  
"Oh no, it's a new case, I just it, actually."

"Miles Edgeworth, you did _not _just check your text messages while you drive," Phoenix said, resting his hand on his chest in a dramatic manner.

"I got it when we exited the theatre," Miles said, rolling his eyes.

"And you even took the time to walk me up here," Phoenix smiled, holding Miles's hands in his.

"Of course I did," Miles said. Phoenix was really close to his face now. But Miles did not push him away. Their lips soon pressed against the other's as they kissed. The moment in reality could have lasted for just a few seconds, but it felt like hours before the broke free from each other. The two of the lawyers left with a smile on their faces, content with the night.

"Mr, Edgeworth, you sure are in a happy mood today," Dick Gumshoe inquired.

"I just had a good time last night with someone close to me," Miles smiled back. Mr. Edgeworth was never in a good mood! Something _really _good must have happened last night. Gumshoe decided not to press his luck and let it be. The two lawyers continued to date for several months. Their relationship was then put to the test with the SL-9 incident. The two of them eventually teamed up to expose Damon Gant. But something had been festering inside of Edgeworth. Not wanting to drag Phoenix into his self-pity fest, he left America.

Unfortunately for Miles, the next time he would meet Phoenix would be under ill circumstances. And Phoenix would have nothing but contempt and betrayal in his eyes for him. While Phoenix's heart broke when Miles flew out of the states, Miles's shattered right there on the spot with just one look.


End file.
